CEE braces for further flooding, as Storm Boris wreaks havoc

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Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk declared a state of disaster and confirmed that 1,600 people have been evacuated in Klodzko, south-west Poland, as Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) faced torrential rains brought by Storm Boris, which has led to widespread flooding and causing numerous deaths across countries including Romania, Austria and Czechia. 

Poland has reported one drowning, while Czechia is dealing with significant destruction, with authorities searching for four missing individuals. Meanwhile, in Romania, five people have died, and more remain missing. In Austria, a firefighter lost his life while participating in a rescue operation.

In Poland’s southwestern regions, particularly in Glucholazy, emergency responders have been building sandbag barriers to protect communities, while a dam burst in Stronie Slaskie, adding to the devastation. Helicopters have been deployed for rescue operations, and some areas are relying on Starlink satellite connections to maintain communication.

Czechia registers 30 times over average rainfall

Storm Boris brought unprecedented levels of rain, with areas in Czechia seeing nearly three months’ worth of rainfall in three days. Some of the worst-hit regions, such as Klodzko and Jesenik in Czechia, are completely cut off, with roads and railways submerged, power outages affecting thousands, and communication lines down.

Romania’s southeast region of Galati has also been devastated, with the village of Slobozia Conachi suffering severe damage, with 700 homes flooded. Romanian President Klaus Iohannis lamented the increasing frequency of extreme weather, citing climate change as a key factor.

Over 100,000 firefighters have been mobilised in Czechia, where a hospital in Brno was evacuated due to the floods, with nearly 2,900 incidents were recorded on Friday, most of them due to fallen trees and floods. 

Almost 50,000 homes were without electricity on Saturday, Czech power company CEZ said, and a hospital in the southeastern city of Brno was evacuated on Saturday morning, news agency AFP reported. “The ground is now saturated so all the rainwater is going to stay on the surface,” Czech Environment Minister Petr Hladik tweeted. 

Hungarian capital braced for floods

Four thousand homes in the Styria region are without power and the “peak is yet to come”, Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer warned. Neighbouring Slovakia has declared a state of emergency in the capital, Bratislava. 

Hungary and Slovakia have also been impacted, with the latter declaring a state of emergency in Bratislava. Meanwhile, in Hungary, officials are bracing for the Danube river to rise beyond 8.5m, potentially breaking records.

Storm Boris has been so severe due to a combination of cold air from the north mixing with unusually warm moisture from the Mediterranean and Black Sea, leading to an intense low-pressure system. Climate scientists point to a warming climate as a major factor behind the increased likelihood and intensity of such weather events across Europe.