Central Europe underwater
Share
A weekend of heavy downpours has wreaked havoc in southern Poland, the Czech Republic, Lithuania and parts of Germany, leaving at least 15 people dead. Now the rain has finally eased, emergency aid workers are mobilising to help survivors and begin clearing the wreckage.
The clean-up mission began in earnest today as there was finally a break in the weather and the floodwaters started to recede.
The waters caused some of their worst damage in the Polish town of Bogatynia, located on the border with the Czech Republic.
Mayor Andrzej Grzmielewicz summed up the feeling of devastation left by the flood. "So many houses are destroyed, roads broken up and bridges washed away. I do not know how we will rebuild our lives," he told Euranet.
Bogatynia was one of many towns and villages that had to be evacuated - at total of nearly 2,000 people were moved. Now the inhabitants of the affected region are in need of everything, from water to medicine, and food prices are spiralling as supplies run low.
In the Czech Republic, where soldiers have been deployed to help in the clean-up operation, it is a similar story. At least three people died and thousands were evacuated as heavy rain swelled rivers in the north of the country.
The Central European countries face a hefty clean-up bill, with costs expected to reach around €161 million in the Czech Republic alone. They are likely to turn to the EU for help, as Poland has already had to do once this year, asking for help in building its infrastructure after the severe floods there in May.
