Volunteers and emergency services rushed to shore up riverbanks and safeguard buildings in Poland and Hungary on Tuesday as floodwaters surged into new areas, compounding devastation across central Europe. The rising waters have already wreaked havoc, leaving communities from Romania to Poland facing immense damage and tragic loss.
Authorities in the Czech Republic reported a fourth death on Wednesday, bringing the total fatalities in the region to at least 23. Among the victims are seven people from Romania, seven from Poland, and five from Austria. The latest victim, a 70-year-old woman from a village near Jesenik in the Czech Republic, had been evacuated over the weekend but returned to her home, where she was later found drowned.
Although water levels in the Czech Republic were mostly receding, southern Bohemia continued to see rivers rise. Meanwhile, in Poland’s third-largest city, Wroclaw, residents formed human chains to pass sandbags in a desperate effort to reinforce riverbanks and protect vulnerable buildings. Soldiers were deployed further south along the Oder River, building temporary flood defences.
Polish Interior Minister Tomasz Siemoniak warned of the difficult hours ahead, as water levels in Wroclaw are expected to peak on Thursday. Over 14,000 soldiers have been deployed to flood-stricken areas in Poland, with helicopters evacuating residents and drones monitoring the situation from above.
In Hungary, authorities opened a dam in the northwest to divert water from the Leitha River into an emergency reservoir, safeguarding the city of Mosonmagyarovar. In the capital, Budapest, the Danube is forecasted to peak at over 8.5 meters, possibly by Friday or Saturday.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban visited the village of Kismaros to assess flood preparations, where 70% of defences were in place with 100,000 sandbags deployed. Orban expressed confidence in the soldiers and emergency personnel, saying, “It will be difficult, but our soldiers will stand their ground.”
As the floods continue to devastate the region, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is set to visit Wroclaw on Thursday to meet with leaders from affected countries. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk has called on the European Union for financial assistance, as Poland alone has allocated 2 billion zlotys ($521 million) to address flood damage.
Local authorities are scrambling to manage the crisis, with reports of price hikes in flood-hit areas and growing concerns about the overall economic toll of the disaster.
