Sep 15, 2024 | Society The flooding that has hit many parts of Central Europe has claimed its first life in Poland where southern parts of the country have been overwhelmed by torrential rain “The situation is very dramatic in many places,” said Prime Minister Donald Tusk on a visit today to the town of Kłodzko The Kłodzko Valley has seen Poland’s worst flooding with 1,600 people evacuated so far and 17,000 losing electricity In the towns of Stronie Śląskie and Lądek-Zdrój flooding buildings and leaving the areas accessible only to the emergency services A video from Stronie Śląskie showed one building completely destroyed by the surging waters Stronie Śląskie. Dom runął niczym pudełko z zapałek… Bardzo szybko przemieszcza się fala z pękniętej tamy. https://t.co/0Zco9KF9Hp pic.twitter.com/gRoZyxtg6C — meteoprognoza.pl🇵🇱 (@MeteoprognozaPL) September 15, 2024 Tusk revealed that it was in Kłodzko County that the flooding had claimed its first life “We have the first confirmed death by drowning,” he said The prime minister appealed to residents not to underestimate the threat of the floods and to obey evacuation orders more of which he said were likely to be issued while he declared this morning that it was unlikely the dam in Stronie Śląskie would be breached by the water later on Sunday the authorities confirmed that that had happened #PILNE: Tama w Stronu Śląskim nie wytrzymała film. @FaktyTVP3 Wrocław pic.twitter.com/GP04WPZ6W9 — Remiza.pl (@remizacompl) September 15, 2024 With travel impossible in some areas and some phone connections cut Tusk also announced that the authorities would be deploying Starlink terminals which provide internet connections through satellites operated by SpaceX “The first Starlinks are already operational supporting connectivity and communication in flood-affected areas,” announced digital affairs minister Krzysztof Gawkowski on X “We are working on launching several dozen more devices to ensure communication between [rescue] services and the civilian population.” Czechowice-Dziedzice, ul. Waryńskiego – aktualne zdjęcie z lotu ptaka. pic.twitter.com/yrKfwGLuX3 — Bielskie Drogi (@BielskieDrogi) September 15, 2024 Interior minister Tomasz Siemoniak added that a priority now is to restore road connections that have been cut by the flooding as well as to provide residents with food and water Amphibious vehicles were deployed this morning to carry this out Helicopters have also been deployed to assist in rescue and relief efforts while 4,000 soldiers are on standby to assist the emergency services a bridge in the town of Głuchołazy was destroyed by a surge in the Biała Głuchołaska River There are concerns this will form a barrier forcing more water into the town Moment porwania przez nurt mostu w Głuchołazach. #powódz pic.twitter.com/YyBBKRzO42 — Mischa von Jadczak (@michaljadczak) September 15, 2024 the city said the water level had reached 372cm The level classified as an emergency is 520cm have also seen flooding today following heavy overnight rain the Iłownica River reached a water level of 634 cm Main image credit: Jakub Wlodek / Agencja Wyborcza.pl Daniel Tilles is editor-in-chief of Notes from Poland He has written on Polish affairs for a wide range of publications , , Karol Nawrocki even suggested that the state security services were involved in creating the scandal , , The 1,200 square metre national symbol was unfurled on the beach in Międzyzdroje , , The proportion of Poles saying the US has a positive influence on the world has also fallen to its lowest recorded level Apr 30, 2025 | , , , That response will include “large Polish and NATO exercises in Poland” Apr 29, 2025 | , , , Those employed in Poland work on average the third-longest hours in the European Union Apr 28, 2025 | , , , , Westinghouse and Bechtel were first chosen in 2022 as partners on the 192 billion zloty ($51 billion) project please consider helping us to continue and expand it [email protected] Copyright © 2025 Notes From Poland | Design jurko studio | Code by 2sides.pl Senior Research Fellow at the Global Europe Centre ARTICLES BY THIS AUTHOR Weronika Strzyżyńska is currently studying journalism at Goldsmiths as a Scott Trust Bursary recipient She  has written on issues immigration and Brexit for New Statesman and Prospect Agnieszka Wądołowska is managing editor of Notes from Poland She has previously worked for Gazeta.pl and Tokfm.pl and contributed to Gazeta Wyborcza ARTICLES BY THIS AUTHOR ARTICLES BY THIS AUTHOR Daniel Tilles is editor-in-chief of Notes from Poland and assistant professor of history at the Pedagogical University of Krakow The Independent and Dziennik Gazeta Prawna ARTICLES BY THIS AUTHOR Stanley Bill is the founder and editor-at-large of Notes from Poland.He is also Senior Lecturer in Polish Studies and Director of the Polish Studies Programme at the University of Cambridge Stanley has spent more than ten years living in Poland He founded Notes from Poland in 2014 as a blog dedicated to personal impressions cultural analysis and political commentary He is committed to the promotion of deeper knowledge and understanding of Poland He is the Chair of the Board of the Notes from Poland Foundation ARTICLES BY THIS AUTHOR ARTICLES BY THIS AUTHOR Professor of European Studies at Oxford University ARTICLES BY THIS AUTHOR Professor at the Institute of History of the Jagiellonian University ARTICLES BY THIS AUTHOR Executive Director of Taube Family Foundation ARTICLES BY THIS AUTHOR Associate Professor at the Institute of Political Studies of the Polish Academy of Science ARTICLES BY THIS AUTHOR ARTICLES BY THIS AUTHOR ARTICLES BY THIS AUTHOR standing in the town square of Ladek Zdroj described losses from the floods as "unimaginable.""It's a city like in an apocalypse.. It's a ghost town," he said.Reuters footage showed the town strewn with debris and mud It ripped out everything because we don't have a single bridge We are practically cut off from the world," Jerzy Adamczyk a Czech town across the border that was inundated on Sunday a clean-up started after waters receded to show damaged cars and debris on the streets."There were two meters of water that ran through the street.. many destroyed cars," said resident Zdenek Kuzilek "Telephones are not working; there is no water where villages and towns were submerged over the weekend told Romanian television that some people had been left with only their clothes on.Bracing for the floodWhile water receded in some areas were strengthening their defenses against floodwaters.In Romania the flooding killed seven people over the last few days In the state of Lower Austria that surrounds Vienna two men aged 70 and 80 were found drowned in their homes a police spokesperson said on Monday.Polish police said four people died as a result of floods in Poland were both preparing for possible flooding as the River Danube rose.Hungarian Interior Minister Sandor Pinter said efforts were focused on keeping the river and its tributaries within their banks and said up to 12,000 soldiers were on standby to help.In Austria river and reservoir levels fell overnight as rain eased but officials said they were bracing for a second wave as heavier rain was expected The Environment and Climate Change portal is produced in cooperation with the Goldman Sonnenfeldt School of Sustainability and Climate Change at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev The Jerusalem Post maintains all editorial decisions related to the content The weakness in external demand presents a greater threat to Poland’s economic recovery than the recent flood in the south which was limited in scope and unlikely to have a significant macroeconomic impact We expect GDP growth to ease below 3% year-on-year again in the third quarter of the year activity may be supported by post-flood reconstruction August's monthly data pointed to increased headwinds to economic recovery in the third quarter Preliminary manufacturing PMIs from EU countries also show no signs of improvement in September We have therefore revised our third quarter GDP forecast to 2.8%YoY from 3.1%YoY While we still anticipate 3% economic growth for the year We do not expect any serious negative impacts from the recent flood in the south of Poland on economic activity at the macro level It was a relatively small part of the country that suffered and no major significant producers were impacted the reconstruction and rebuilding of lost wealth may actually slightly boost economic growth in the fourth quarter and in 2025 Upward pressure on inflation from destroyed crops and lost inventories is also unlikely to be substantial The flood may marginally delay fiscal tightening as public support will be needed for areas Authorities intend to devote PLN23bn (around 0.6% of GDP) to aid (including EU funds) and provide some tax reliefs Following an initial positive response to the Fed rate cut and China’s stimulus package the €/PLN exchange rate returned to range trading We expect the currency to remain range-bound until another wave of risk-on sentiment is seen in December 2024 With further rapid easing by the Fed and ECB on the horizon overall emerging market sentiment should stay at least mildly positive The National Bank of Poland (NBP) is likely to lag behind other central banks in implementing rate cuts The recent behaviour of the zloty suggests that the overall positive effect of China's stimulus package on Polish assets has already waned With significant maturities of Polish government bonds (POLGBs) ahead of us we don't expect a major repricing of the expected higher POLGBs supply as MinFin's offer should meet funds from maturing bonds remain uncertain given the large borrowing needs in 2025 but expected overall inflows to EM bonds may help The Monetary Policy Council (MPC) is unlikely to shift the market’s expectations of a relatively aggressive easing path by the NBP anytime soon so we do not foresee significant changes at the short end of the yield curve soon Stay up to date with all of ING’s latest economic and financial analysis If you are acting in a professional capacity and look for investment research, visit research.ing.com A very close call unfolded in the Polish town of Czechowice-Dziedzice last week when a teenager nearly fell under the wheel of a passing bus when a female companion playfully pushed her Surveillance footage shows the moment the unsuspecting 17-year-old falls down on the street and is narrowly missed by the wheels of the moving bus her friend hugs her in an apparent apology Police said the victim sustained only minor bruises The 17-year-old companion who pushed the girl was fined but could still face charges of allegedly endangering her friend's life the teen could reportedly face up to one year in prison How Comedian's Difficult Sickle Cell Diagnosis Shaped Career 'CryptoQueen' Who Allegedly Conned Billions From Investors Has Been Missing Since 2017 Impossibly Cute Orphaned Cougar Cub Nursed Back to Health Woman's Fiance Dies Unexpectedly From Blood Clot as They're Planning Wedding Upgrade works on sections of railway line running between Trzebinia Oświęcim and Czechowice Dziedzice in southern Poland will improve traffic flow reduce journey times and meet interoperability requirements demanded by the EU’s Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T) A total 48.467 km of railway line is covered by the project The main objective is to modernise various sections of track and infrastructure along 44.25 km of TEN-T railway line No.93 Additional work covers improvements on small sections of four lines that connect to Line 93 at Oświęcim which is a major freight hub in a heavily industrialised area.  Tracks on Line 93 will be modernised between Trzebinia and Oświęcim The Oświęcim – Czechowice – Dziedzice section will be refurbished while specifically at Oświęcim the track layout will be changed and the tracks rebuilt hese upgrades will enable the line to cater for passenger trains with a maximum speed of 120 km/h and freight trains with a maximum of 80 km/h along with maximum axle loads of 221 kN/axle Station infrastructure and facilities will be improved through the project  Three stations and seven passenger stops are being modernised to raise their standards and increase accessibility for people with disabilities and reduced mobility 19 level crossings and three pedestrian crossings will undergo renovations The work involves the reconstruction of eight bridges and 17 viaducts including the complete replacement of the overhead catenary system using LED lighting to lower power consumption two local steering centres (LSC) will be modernised at Chełmek and Chrzanów while a new LSC will be built at Oświęcim Minor renewal works will be carried out at the LSCs Brzeszcze Jawiszowice and Brzeszcze Kopalnia wiring and radio masts will be built for continued operation of the old 150 MHz analogue radio system at shunting yards Implementation of the project is expected to reduce travel time along route No.93 while increasing capacity and punctuality of connections The upgrade will increase the effectiveness of the control-command and signalling system improve the safety of passengers and cargo and reduce the negative impact of rail traffic on the environment.  Greater speeds and efficiencies should help increase the attractiveness and competitiveness of rail transport and open-up the network for all travellers The completed work will enable future installation of the European Rail Traffic Management System (ERTMS Level 1) Total investment for the project “Works on railway line No section Trzebinia - Oświęcim - Czechowice Dziedzice” is EUR 260 909 878 with the EU’s Cohesion Fund contributing EUR 178 022 279 through the “Infrastructure and Environment” Operational Programme for the 2014-2020 programming period The investment falls under the priority “Development of rail transport in Poland” Ministerstwo obsługujące ministra właściwego ds PKP Polskie Linie Kolejowe Spółka Akcyjna (Polish Railway Lines) The Polish railway company PKP Intercity announced that a new overnight connection from Warsaw to Munich will be launched starting from December 10th. The route will pass through three countries. This is the first overnight connection with Germany in many years, according to lowcostavia.com.ua. Through agreements with the Austrian railway (ÖBB) and the German railway (DB) the route of the new Chopin train has been extended to Munich It is being offered as a convenient way to reach the Alps "In addition to the group of carriages traveling to Munich this train will also run from Warsaw to Prague with a group of carriages that will be switched in Bohumín and a group of carriages to Budapest will be switched in Brzecław," PKP Intercity announced The new route will include the following stations: the IC Chopin will travel along the route through Oswiecim and Czechowice-Dziedzice.