A catastrophic flood has struck parts of Poland The floodwaters have breached several dams inundated cities in the southwestern part of the country and claimed the lives of at least 4 people The government has declared a state of emergency and initiated evacuations For all the current details on the consequences of the devastating flood in Poland Poland has been experiencing a flood for several days The situation has become critical in the southwestern part of the country (Lower Silesia Opole) due to heavy rains from Cyclone Boris Floodwaters from rivers have submerged settlements with several dam breaches and a bridge collapse reported More than 130 domestic train services have been canceled the Stronie Śląskie area in Lower Silesia was flooded due to a dam breach A temporary bridge on the highway in Głuchołazy collapsed under the pressure of the water Photo: Flood in Kłodzko (twitter.com/beniaminpilat) access is now only possible from the Czech side due to river overflow The streets are covered in tons of mud and debris a dam between the Topola and Kozelno reservoirs breached prompting an immediate evacuation of part of the town of Paczków #PILNE: Przepust między zbiornikiem Topola i Kozielno. pic.twitter.com/L1o9WZkTHX small towns are bearing the brunt of the disaster but the flood threatens the major city of Wrocław with predictions that the high water will reach Wrocław by the evening of September 18 potentially resulting in a prolonged flood The Mayor of Wrocław has announced that efforts are underway to reinforce and elevate embankments in various parts of the city Metal barriers will also be installed along the river canal residents have been provided with sandbags to protect their property it is known that the disaster has claimed the lives of four people a man was reported dead in the village of Krosnowice in Kłodzko County Another man's body was found in a stream in the city of Bielsko-Biała in the Silesian Voivodeship a woman also perished in Lądek-Zdrój and a man in Nysa Journalist Ihor Kravets from Radio Reset Obywatelski told RBC-Ukraine's YouTube channel that the number of flood victims could reach tens of thousands as water has reached the ground floors of inundated cities Photo: Flood in the Polish city of Nysa (twitter.com/TygodnikOpolska) over 3,200 people have been evacuated from flooded areas Rescue operations involve military personnel the Mayor of Nysa announced an urgent evacuation of all residents due to the threat of a breach in the embankment In the worst-case scenario the water level could rise by several meters Those remaining in the city are advised to move to the upper floors of buildings Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk declared a state of emergency due to widespread flooding: The state of emergency is expected to last up to 30 days in the flooded areas "Only necessary" restrictions on rights and freedoms will be in place including evacuation orders and bans on certain areas As Climate and Environment Minister Paulina Hennig-Kloska stated the state of emergency "will help mobilize more funds and resources to address the consequences of the floods." Photo: Aftermath of the flood (twitter.com/TygodnikOpolska) The government has announced it will allocate one billion zlotys from reserves to support those affected by the flood These funds will be used for social assistance and the restoration of apartments Journalist Ihor Kravets believes that addressing the aftermath of the disaster must also consider the political aspect Previous floods have significantly "influenced Polish politics," with opposition forces using such emergencies to challenge the ruling government the opposition is already attempting to exploit the situation It should be noted that the Ukrainian government has offered assistance to Poland in dealing with the aftermath of the disaster Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal has announced readiness to send a hundred rescue workers equipped with specialized equipment The European Union has also announced its support for Poland and comments from Radio Reset Obywatelski journalist Ihor Kravets on the RBC-Ukraine YouTube channel heavy rains brought by Storm Boris have caused severe flooding in southwestern Poland particularly affecting the voivodeships of Dolnoslaskie the Council of Ministers declared a "state of natural disaster" for a period of 30 days in parts of the Lower Silesian the areas covered by this declaration include: - In the Lower Silesian Voivodeship – the districts of Kamienna Góra Wałbrzyski and Ząbkowice and cities with the rights of the district of Wałbrzych and Jelenia Góra - In the Opolskie Voivodeship – the districts of Głubczyce Nysa and Prudnik and the commune of Strzeleczki in the district of Krapkowice - In the Silesian Voivodeship – the districts of Bielsko-Biała Pszczyna and Racibórz and the city with the rights of the Bielsko-Biała district The region experienced an extraordinary 400-500 mm of rainfall in just a few days with Storm Boris delivering a month's worth of precipitation in 24 hours This overwhelmed local rivers and reservoirs the Polish Red Cross (PRC) has been actively involved deploying teams and resources to the affected areas Aug 26, 2021 | Business What will be Poland’s longest non-urban tunnel It will form part of the 480-kilometre S3 expressway connecting Poland’s northwestern Baltic coast with the Czech Republic in the south is one of two key elements to be built along the S3 between Bolków and Kamienna Góra The TS-26 tunnel will be approximately 2,300 metres long while the shorter TS-32 is estimated at 320 metres “The contractor has exceeded 50% advancement of boring,” said the General Directorate for National Roads and Highways (GDDKiA) in a press release on Wednesday The GDDKiA said that the two tunnels constituted the most important element of the S3 roadworks with an estimated cost of 1.5 billion zloty (€336 million) is being led by PORR SA of Warsaw partnered with PORR Bau GmbH of Vienna The entire S3 expressway from Bolków to Lubawka is estimated to cost almost 2.5 billion zloty and is being co-financed by the European Union PORR confirmed in a statement that the 2,300-metre tunnel would be the longest non-urban tunnel drilled through rock in Poland The tunnel will make it possible to cut through the Kaczawskie and Wałbrzyskie Mountains on the S3 The full road will run from Świnoujscie on the Baltic Sea down to the border with the Czech Republic Source: S3 road plan, October 2014 (Sliwers/Wikimedia Commons, under CC BY 3.0) The longer TS-26 tunnel will be made up of two main aisles for traffic with two lanes each – the left (east) one will be 2,301.88 metres long and the right (west) will be 2,272.20 metres long These have been 52.7% and 50.1% completed respectively as of 23 August That puts the tempo of boring of both aisles at 252 running metres per month with the tunnel’s construction set to be completed in the first half of 2022 The entire tunnel project will be completed by the second quarter of 2023 The longer tunnel is being built using the New Austrian tunnelling method (NATM) of sequential excavation which is better suited to the large cross-section of the tunnel and its length There will also be eight transverse evacuation passages and one emergency passage in the middle of the tunnel Spat over Vistula Spit: Poland ploughs on with canal despite concerns from green activists and EU Main image credit: GDDKiA/Facebook Maria Wilczek is deputy editor of Notes from Poland , , 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 He has written on Polish affairs for a wide range of publications 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 In the Lower Silesian Voivodeship – the districts of Kamienna Góra In the Opolskie Voivodeship – the districts of Głubczyce In the Silesian Voivodeship – the districts of Bielsko-Biała seven people have been confirmed dead due to the flooding The Prime Minister's Office reported that the disaster has directly affected 57,000 people with 6,544 residents evacuated as waters continue to rise with 11,502 residential buildings—both single-family homes and multi-unit structures—either flooded or damaged 6,033 agricultural and commercial buildings These numbers are expected to change as the situation evolves and further assessments are carried out The most vulnerable groups include older people and rural residents with limited access to resources and emergency services Evacuation is especially challenging for people with limited mobility due to the swift and unpredictable nature of the floods Children face heightened risks from disruptions to essential services like education Communities near rivers and in low-lying areas remain at greater risk of rapid flooding Southern Poland has experienced similar devastating floods in the past which caused widespread destruction and significant economic losses These events exposed the vulnerability of the region's infrastructure and many communities have struggled to fully recover before being affected again deepening the economic and social vulnerabilities of the population Log in and download the free e-publication of the latest A&B The printed version is available for sale online in our store and press salons throughout Poland unique e-mail [will also be used as login in the portal] Only name - check the correctness of the data Only the last name - check the correctness of the data password must be at least 8 characters long * fields required for registration; data can be completed in account settings after logging in ** establishment of a student account follows verification of the validity of the student ID card Please try later or let us know: contact Technology: aitnet.pl Ⓒ AiB Publishing House 2025 Drivers can now use the new section of the S3 between the Polish border with the Czech Republic and the Kamienna Góra Północ junction Expressways such as the S3 help boost the country’s economic development and encourage investment in places that can be reached quickly support local development without people having to leave their small homeland Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki attended the commissioning of a section of the S3 expressway Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki attended the commissioning of a section of the S3 between the Polish border with the Czech Republic and the Kamienna Góra Północ junction this will be an important route connecting seaports to southern Poland and our neighbours expressways will not be used efficiently without a good local road network This is why the support of local authorities in the construction and renovation of municipal and district roads is so important “The most important roads for us are those which open up development and social opportunities for the inhabitants of Polish counties The S3 is just such a road,” stressed the Polish Prime Minister it is extremely important from the economic and tourist point of view goods traffic and trade greatly increase if we have good roads,” he added There is a gradual increase in road safety in Poland which European institutions have also recognised Poland became the winner of the European Transport Safety Council (ETSC) Road Safety Performance Index (PIN) Award for the first time This award is the equivalent of an Oscar for road safety New and repaired roads also mean greater safety during the commute to school or work and new jobs “Residents of Kamienna Góra County will not have to travel many kilometres from here to work – somewhere to larger urban centres Just as we have been able to attract investments to Jawor thanks to increasingly better transport connections – Kamienna Góra will breathe a sigh of relief,” said Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki the oldest special economic zone (SEZ) in Poland celebrated its 20th anniversary two years ago round anniversaries were celebrated by the special economic zones in Katowice and in Suwałki Pomeranian SEZ and the Warmian-Masurian SEZ all turned 20 in 2017 Mateusz Morawiecki announced a thorough overhaul of these investment support instruments It’s easy to point out certain problems with the zones but the longest functioning investment incentive in Poland has an impressive legacy nonetheless According to the document entitled “Information on the implementation of the act on special economic zones” adopted by the Polish parliament at the end of 2016 the companies operating in Polish SEZs had 2,263 permits to conduct business activity The Ministry of Development estimated that in 2017 14 SEZs may have attracted EUR5bn in investments with 16,000 jobs every fifth project is implemented by a small or medium-sized company All the parameters are significantly better than one and two years ago The effects achieved by the special economic zones confirm the effectiveness of this investment incentive When the government created the special economic zones in the 1990s the greatest challenge in Poland was unemployment Creation of new jobs – this was the main purpose of the Special Economic Zones That is why the number of new jobs declared by the investors was such an important element in the process of granting permits to conduct business activity in a zone Unemployment already ceased to be a priority a few years ago and today when the unemployment rate is down to less than 7 per cent (September 2017) unemployment prevention is no longer a policy priority “There are 14 Special Economic Zones operating in Poland and they constitute an important element of the relationship with the investors over the course of the years the assumptions concerning their impact have not been adjusted to the changing economic challenges and needs,” stated the Ministry of Development in an official communication published on the occasion of the presentation of a new system of support for investors It is worth recalling that a reform of the SEZs was already carried out by the government in 2014 Back then the management boards of the SEZs were tasked with creating clusters and facilitating cooperation between businesses and schools and universities and additionally it was often difficult to find people with the appropriate training or preparation for the job The Ministry of Development attempts to fix the system in the areas where it is not efficient aimed at turning “the entire territory of Poland into a special economic zone” but a systemic solution of the greatest weakness of the current SEZs applying for support is very complicated: the investor submits a letter of intent to the zone the zone prepares a draft of changes in its boundaries and forwards it to the Ministry of Development and when the application is ready it goes to inter-ministerial consultations then is discussed by the government and finally signed by the Prime Minister Including new territories into the boundaries of a SEZ can take as long as 20 months The Ministry of Development proposes a guarantee of corporate income tax exemption after an investor meets certain conditions in any location within the country instead of the current area of 25,000 hectares which constitute 0.08 per cent of Poland’s territory an investor is sometimes handled by eight separate institutions That is why companies managing the zones are to become the contact points in the region and the regional coordinators in the process of authorizing state aid – tax exemptions and government grants the Mielec SEZ has a branch in Szczecin and the Tarnobrzeg SEZ has a branch near Wrocław In the new system they will operate in the counties assigned by the Ministry of Development The 14 zones are still sorting out the details because there are more than 20 counties in which more than one SEZ is operating Under the current regulations the zones are supposed to operate until 2026 – this deadline was already postponed twice: in 2008 it was pushed back until the end of 2020 The companies that enter into SEZs will be able to receive public aid in the form of tax exemptions only for nine years and therefore they are in a worse situation than companies that received a permit a year ago or a couple of years ago The government could extend the functioning of the zones once again the Ministry of Development chose a systemic solution which will not require subsequent changes in the future: in the new system the permit will be granted for a specified period of time – 10-15 years and in the case of companies that choose locations already belonging to SEZs the Ministry of Development will now expect them to meet not only quantitative criteria (specific investment outlays from EUR47,538 upwards and a number of jobs created) The latter are to take into account the assumptions of the Strategy for Responsible Development sustainable development and the development of human resources Structural development is to be measured on the basis of employment of personnel with specialized education or high-paying jobs compliance with the country’s current development policy and exports Scientific development will be calculated on the basis of cooperation with academic and research centers and taking into account the development of local clusters Sustainable development will be calculated with consideration taken of the location of the investment – for example Additional points will be awarded to micro-companies as well as projects implemented in small and medium-sized cities or in the countryside The Ministry of Development estimates that by 2027 the changes will have provided 158,300 new jobs EUR27.9bn in investments and EUR879.5m in revenues to the State budget and the budgets of the local government units This means that in ten years the SEZs are supposed to generate almost the same amount of investment as they did in the previous two decades Creating so many jobs (whereas in the 20 previous years 225,500 jobs were created) also seems very difficult at a time when plants are becoming more and more automated Experts are praising the new system for the simplification of the procedure for obtaining public support and for rewarding the choice of locations previously avoided by investors the head of the Słupsk Special Economic Zone believes that the incentives may be insufficient in the case of the Central Pomerania region which is suffering from a transport disadvantage: the construction of the expressway S6 “is delayed until 2023-25” An additional issue for the zone is the anti-missile defense shield in Redzikowo because an American base means additional restrictions for investors Wani mutumi wanda aka sanar da cewa ya rikaya da ya cika bayan yayi tatil da giya da daddare ya tashi a dakin ajiye gawawwaki kuma ya dawo cikin jama’a ,wanna ya bawa mutane tsoro An bada rahoton cewa wannan abu ya faru ne a Kamienna Gora kasar Poland,inda wani mutum mai suna Kamil ya tashi bayan an fidda rai cewa ya zarce labarin ya faru ne lokacin da aka dauki Kamil saboda ya sha barasa na fitar hankali ,ya fadi ya sume kuma aka kaishi asibiti inda aka sanar da cewa ya mutu KU KARANTA: Yansanda sun cika hannu da Likitan bogi wani mai gadi a dakin ajiye gawawwakin asibitin yace ya fara jin wasu motsi a cikin dakin ajiye gawawwakin ,kawai sai yaga wani gawa zindir yana neman bargo Jaridar Metro UK ta bada rahoton cewa bayan an kira jami’ an yan sanda an gwada shi ,sai aka ce masa ya koma gida A man who suffered a heart attack following a vodka binge woke up in the mortuary – after he was pronounced DEAD in his unconscious state That’s the report coming from Polish news sources this week concerning a 25-year-old from southwest of Wroclaw was reportedly pronounced dead from cardiac arrest – but when he came to and found himself in the morgue he apparently went back to the pub in the small town of Kamienna Gora The reports say that he had been at a tavern and felt ill He stayed unconscious through attempts at the scene and A guard reportedly heard sounds from the mortuary on the same day and found the unfortunate drinker inside a fridge The guard is quoted as saying: “I was sure it was a burglary young people sometimes break into the morgue but the sounds came from the refrigerators then his belongings were returned and he went home – via the pub A story with similar details was revealed in the Russian press this time last year A man who ‘died’ after downing shots of vodka with friends last December was taken to the morgue before waking up in a freezer in Khasanky we believe everyone who has a story to share Town Press is a current affairs publication that encourages citizens' journalism as a way to create access for communities to the media © 2014 - 2025 Townpress Newspaper, South Africa - Townpress logo & associated media rights are the intellectual property of Townpress Newspaper Please enter your username or email address to reset your password © 2014 - 2025 Townpress Newspaper, South Africa - Townpress logo & associated media rights are the intellectual property of Townpress Newspaper.