adding he was not insured and did know if he would rebuild the shop.The floods swept away homes and cars rubble and debris."We have to rebuild Slowly rebuild and wait for the weather to be good and for winter to come as late as possible" a businessman from a city to the northeast who volunteered to help clean up in Stronie Slaskie.Reporting by Kuba Stezycki and Kacper Pempel; Writing by Anna Koper; Editing by Andrew Cawthorne Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles., opens new tab , opens new tab Browse an unrivalled portfolio of real-time and historical market data and insights from worldwide sources and experts. , opens new tabScreen for heightened risk individual and entities globally to help uncover hidden risks in business relationships and human networks. © 2025 Reuters. All rights reserved all eyes were fixed on the Oder River in western Poland — one of two biggest rivers in the country and efforts were underway to save major cities through which the river flows But after all it was the inflows — small mountain rivers named Nysa Klodzka Bóbr and Morawka — that mostly devastated the picturesque tourist region in southwestern Poland amid horrendous floods following the torrential rain of Storm Boris Sept But as Poland was bracing for the biggest catastrophe since 1997 when the so-called “flood of the millennium” killed 114 people in Poland including loads of supplies and money from Catholic charities poured into the region to ease the pain of the people who lost everything an estimated 20,000 buildings may have been damaged it was a tsunami,” residents of flooded villages told OSV News Sept 21 as they were trying to grasp the scale of damage to their homes only some of which survived the waves on the weekend of Sept The biggest and still unestimated damage was caused by the bursting of the dam in Stronie Slaskie the dam had so far effectively protected areas near the Morawka River from possible flooding it fulfilled its task and saved the town and surrounding villages from complete flooding it gave up under the pressure of a torrential flood Ladek Zdrój and surrounding villages were flooded by 53 million cubic feet of water Since there had been no electricity in many localities for two days People expected the river to overflow but the bursting of the dam was unimaginable “Some people believed this dam more than the Lord God,” a resident of Stornie Slaskie told OSV News they hug their children and say with conviction that the most important thing is that they managed to escape there was never any water there during the floods But when the wave arrived here after the dam broke 21 she pushed a wheelbarrow full of damaged wet equipment — all that remained from the inside of her house She recounted that once everything quieted down and the water subsided she and her husband were afraid to go back down because they were sure that their house had also been carried away by the current But the house survived “by some miracle,” she said “Although the first floor was flooded It took everything from us — the wooden playground that my husband built with his own hands for the children the pool and the garden,” she told OSV News “But we have a house … and thank God we are alive,” she said “What happened here is indescribable,” said Father Krzysztof Pelech located just 7.5 miles from the dam in Stronie Slaskie “I have never seen something like this in my life,” he told OSV News “After a while it ripped out the side door and water collapsed into the house,” said Jan from Oldrzychowice Klodzkie The water that destroyed the houses in Radochów carried parts of them all the way to Oldrzychowice One resident found his concrete mixer 1.2 miles from his home The landscape of the towns where thousands of tourists spend their summer and winter vacation is unrecognizable — where the forest grew is now a meadow Electric poles lie along the road like broken matchsticks The gate from someone’s garage has wrapped itself around a surviving tree Cars that weren’t swept away by the current stand in alleys like crushed cans revealing parts of a dining room with a set table and someone’s bedroom is traces of their identity forever gone — photo albums family porcelain and centuries old memorabilia.Father Pelech still had a memory of the flood wave following the dam burst in front of his eyes because I heard that the level had begun to drop a noise — I can’t describe it,” he told OSV News one after another … cars in the river I think it was a quarter of an hour at the most,” the parish pastor said “Help is coming from all over Poland I just got a call from a representative of Legia Warsaw football fans they want to help the residents of my parish How did they find out about us?” Father Pelech asked with a shrug Help for the affected is needed now and will be for a long time which has a population of about 600 people More than 80% of residents have been affected The Sunday collection in Polish churches Sept 22 has been entirely dedicated to Caritas Poland for the flood relief While numbers from the collection are still unknown Poles already donated millions to flood relief efforts through the Catholic Church’s biggest charity 20 listed what Caritas has purchased: 110 generators 150 dehumidifiers (with a further 200 ordered) 1,000 burners and more than 400 pressure washers “Fundraisers and relief efforts cannot stop they have to go on as billions will be needed to rebuild homes Broken bridges and damaged road surfaces make it difficult to deliver supplies to those in need three groups of young people from nearby Wroclaw volunteered to help The Phileo Youth Community and the Girl Scouts of the Federation of European Scouting from Holy Trinity Parish came to Radochów with Father Jakub Deperas The Youth Chaplaincy of the Archdiocese of Wroclaw under the care of Father Piotr Rozpedowski The young people each reached the needy by bus and 14 cars They brought gifts collected in the parishes and helped with disaster relief “We can’t stay in warm homes when people have lost everything we have to move and help,” said Father Deperas a Polish television star and devout Catholic 20 that he headed to Ladek Zdrój to help flood victims with a group of Franciscan brothers and clerics “After cleaning the houses from the massacre mud now it’s time for heavy equipment and it is happening in Ladek right now,” he wrote on X “Help will be needed for weeks to come,” he said 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 This is Radio Schuman, your new go-to podcast to spice up your weekday mornings with relevant news, insights, and behind-the-scenes from Brussels and beyond. From the economy to the climate and the EU's role in world affairs, this talk show sheds light on European affairs and the issues that impact on our daily lives as Europeans. Tune in to understand the ins and outs of European politics. No agenda, no argument, no bias, No Comment. Get the story without commentary. Dare to imagine the future with business and tech visionaries Deep dive conversations with business leaders Euronews Tech Talks goes beyond discussions to explore the impact of new technologies on our lives. With explanations, engaging Q&As, and lively conversations, the podcast provides valuable insights into the intersection of technology and society. Europe's water is under increasing pressure. Pollution, droughts, floods are taking their toll on our drinking water, lakes, rivers and coastlines. Join us on a journey around Europe to see why protecting ecosystems matters, how our wastewater can be better managed, and to discover some of the best water solutions. 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The impact on the community is immense, with significant concerns about the long-term recovery process. leaving seven dead and others missing15 September 2024SummaryCountries across Central and Eastern Europe are facing extreme flooding as Storm Boris wreaks havoc across the continent A firefighter has died during a flood rescue in Austria and people have drowned in Poland and Romania while several people are missing in the Czech Republic Tens of thousands of people are without power and many have been evacuated from badly hit areas to higher ground The Austrian province surrounding Vienna has been declared a disaster area with its leaders speaking of "an unprecedented extreme situation" Poland has said it will declare a state of natural disaster - giving the government greater powers to address the flooding Edited by Kathryn Armstrong with Rob Cameron reporting from the Czech Republic and Adam Easton and Sarah Rainsford in Poland We are wrapping up our live coverage now but here is a summary of the main points from today Thanks for joining us. You can read read more about the floods in Europe here, as well as an an explanation of why the weather is so severe here Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingWatch: Flooding clean-up begins in eastern Romaniapublished at 19:14 British Summer Time 15 September 202419:14 BST 15 September 2024This video can not be played Watch: Volunteers are armed with buckets in eastern Romania to clean-up after Storm Boris Volunteers are starting the clean-up in Romania's Galati region after flooding and torrential rain The country was hit by Storm Boris over the last few days and five people have been confirmed as dead in the region Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingWhere's been hit by the flooding?published at 18:54 British Summer Time 15 September 202418:54 BST 15 September 2024Some of the areas most badly affected appear to be clustered in central Europe around the border between Poland and the Czech Republic and towards the Austrian capital Vienna Thousands of people have been evacuated from their homes in the worst flooding there in almost three decades Hungary and south-east Germany are also affected and flood warnings remain in place for parts of the Danube Floodwaters have also caused severe damage in Romania which is further south-west in eastern Europe It all comes after days of torrential rain from Storm Boris Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingVillage that symbolised 1997 floods asks residents to evacuatepublished at 18:36 British Summer Time 15 September 202418:36 BST 15 September 2024Rob CameronReporting from the Czech Republic Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingMore on Poland's natural disaster declarationpublished at 18:15 British Summer Time 15 September 202418:15 BST 15 September 2024Adam EastonReporting from Poland Poland's prime minister has said his government will declare a state of natural disaster in response to the floods This reserve also includes items to help with transport and energy supplies Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingTusk says Poland will declare state of natural disasterpublished at 17:47 British Summer Time 15 September 202417:47 BST 15 September 2024BreakingAdam EastonReporting from Poland Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingResidents in south-west Poland told to leave homespublished at 17:45 British Summer Time 15 September 202417:45 BST 15 September 2024Adam EastonReporting from Poland Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingFlooding will get far worse for some over coming dayspublished at 17:29 British Summer Time 15 September 202417:29 BST 15 September 2024Chris FawkesBBC Weather presenter Storm Boris hits Central and Eastern Europe A huge amount of rain has already fallen in central Europe in the last few days About 435mm (17 inches) of rain has fallen at Jeseník in the Czech Republic in the last three days – this is extreme rainfall that has resulted in severe flooding There is more rain to come through Sunday night and Monday too with river levels continuing to rise The weather will improve from Tuesday with much drier conditions however it will take many days for this flood water to work down Europe’s river catchments – and that means for some communities the flooding will get far worse even after the rain has stopped falling Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharing80% of town under water Czech mayor sayspublished at 17:16 British Summer Time 15 September 202417:16 BST 15 September 2024Rob CameronReporting from the Czech Republic As much as 80% of the Silesian town of Krnov is underwater according to the deputy mayor Miroslav Binar Binar told Czech Television's regional studios in Ostrava that his town was no longer capable of co-ordinating rescue work and was relying chiefly on the Moravian-Silesian regional authority for help Moravia-Silesia regional governor Josef Belica said that the army would be deployed to deliver drinking water as much of the town remained inaccessible even to the fire brigade Helicopters were being used to winch people needing medical attention to safety Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingWatch: Helicopter rescues as deadly floods hit Europepublished at 16:53 British Summer Time 15 September 202416:53 BST 15 September 2024This video can not be played Watch: This person was one of many rescued from the flooding Rescue and evacuation operations have been taking place across Europe today after Storm Boris deluged swathes of the continent with rain and flooding You can get an idea of the scale of the destruction and the challenge facing the emergency services from the footage that has been filmed of the flooding Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingWe're waiting to see if the army will help us - Czech residentpublished at 16:36 British Summer Time 15 September 202416:36 BST 15 September 2024Image source One Czech resident in the east of the country says he's on the "border where the water is not yet there" We've been hearing from residents affected by flooding in Lipova-Lazne One local resident says he's seen fridges floating on the water and children's shoes adding that the internet and telephones aren't working "Now we are waiting for who will show up whether the army will help us," he tells the Reuters news agency Another resident says he travelled to the area to see his family but says they are "cut off from the road so I unfortunately can't get to their home" Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingPolish authorities focus efforts near Czech Republic borderpublished at 16:17 British Summer Time 15 September 202416:17 BST 15 September 2024Adam EastonReporting from Poland Up to 20cm (7.87 inches) of rainfall has fallen in the past 24 hours in places in four provinces in southern Poland The authorities are focusing their efforts however in two provinces next to the Czech border the Kłodzko county in Lower Silesia and east of there surrounding the town of Głuchołazy in Opole province the floodwater is as high as two metres (6.56 ft) deep in some parts There’s no longer running water in the taps and the gas supply may end in a few hours The military are using boats to evacuate people who have agreed to leave their homes taking refuge on the second and third floors of buildings Meanwhile the water in the town’s river is getting higher and higher swollen by the floodwater cascading down from the hillside town of Stronie Śląskie “Only the rescue operation remains,” Piszko said and “the supply of water and food to residents” Stronie Śląskie is cut off by land and military helicopters continue to evacuate its residents Video posted on X by the Polish Institute of Meteorology and Water Management showed an enormous wave of brown water destroying a house in the town the town’s mayor Paweł Szymkowicz told PAP Szymkowicz said residents who wished to be evacuated should make their way to the roof of their buildings and wave a white flag Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharing'We will not leave anyone to their own devices'- Polish PMpublished at 16:01 British Summer Time 15 September 202416:01 BST 15 September 2024Image source Donald Tusk spoke to the media earlier about the floods in Poland says he's ordered the country's minister of finance to "prepare funds for emergency aid and flood damage removal" In a post on X, external Tusk adds that he has asked the country's minister of defence to send additional forces to the "threatened areas" "We will not leave anyone to their own devices," he says Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingTown of Nysa in Poland braced for worse to comepublished at 15:54 British Summer Time 15 September 202415:54 BST 15 September 2024Sarah RainsfordReporting from near Prudnik in Poland Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingCzechs asked to cooperate with evacuation orderspublished at 15:29 British Summer Time 15 September 202415:29 BST 15 September 2024Rob CameronReporting from the Czech Republic While Czech Defence Minister Jana Cernochova said on X:, external "Please tell those fools who still haven't come to terms with the help we've sent to Ukraine that yes and shared a Czech Army video showing an air force helicopter being deployed in the floods more towns and villages in the Moravia and Silesia region have ordered evacuations Fire chief Vladimir Vlcek told Czech Television a total of 10,500 people had so far been evacuated while several hundred had been rescued by dinghy or helicopter Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingWhat's happened so far today?published at 15:07 British Summer Time 15 September 202415:07 BST 15 September 2024Image source Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingEveryone in this region worries what happens nextpublished at 14:49 British Summer Time 15 September 202414:49 BST 15 September 2024Sarah RainsfordBBC Eastern Europe Correspondent approaching the area of Poland that’s underwater the sun has been out and the roads are dry But reports from closer to the Czech border are increasingly worrying The mayor of Klodzko has announced that his town has now "lost the battle" against the floods The situation is described as "critical" has told the BBC her family live near the river and the town’s main bridge has been destroyed Caravan filmed floating down flooded road in Polish town She sent the video her family filmed of a caravan floating down the road Another shows chocolate brown water gushing past their home almost at the level of the wooden garden fence Kamila is not there herself but was in touch with relatives until their phone batteries died It’s not even possible to leave the house now They are waiting and hoping for evacuation by boat or helicopter,” she told us whose parents are from Jarnoltowek village tells us they’ve been evacuated – along with the whole village The floods have already spread as far as Nysa further north and further from the mountains have sent us pictures of water pouring into their basement Everyone in this region remembers the terrible floods of 1997 and worry about what more is to come Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharing'No-one knows when the water will recede - the next wave is still to come'published at 14:31 British Summer Time 15 September 202414:31 BST 15 September 2024Tereza TomanovaBBC News People in flood-hit areas of the southern Czech Republic are bracing themselves for more disruption as further rain is forecast Marek Joch lives in a small village called Lipov and tells the BBC these are the worst floods since 1997 "Lipov is currently closed from all sides "Everyone is trying to clean up as quickly as possible to prevent further large spills from the river how it will all look here and what the consequences will be "The forecast says it should rain for at least two more days A digger carries people through floodwater in Lipov in the south Moravia region of the Czech Republic Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharing'We're drowning,' says Polish mayorpublished at 14:16 British Summer Time 15 September 202414:16 BST 15 September 2024Adam EastonReporting from Poland As we reported earlier, water is cascading into towns after a bridge was destroyed in Sronie Slaskie Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingLower Austria declared a catastrophe zonepublished at 13:56 British Summer Time 15 September 202413:56 BST 15 September 2024Bethany BellBBC News Today's print edition Home Delivery Cities from Budapest to Wroclaw in Poland are racing to build up their defenses as floodwaters peak over the coming days The floods that unleashed destruction across central Europe are receding in many places after the torrential rain from Storm Boris passed but towns and villages downstream are braced for rising river levels More than 20 people have died across the region.googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1499653692894-0'); }); Drawing on the lessons learned from massive floods in 1997 countries such as Poland and the Czech Republic have invested in control systems and retention reservoirs That’s curbing some of the worst flood impacts though the situation in Austria is complicated by meltwater after as much as 150 centimeters of snow fell in parts of the Alps over the past week In a time of both misinformation and too much information quality journalism is more crucial than ever.By subscribing Your subscription plan doesn't allow commenting. To learn more see our FAQ Sponsored contents planned and edited by JT Media Enterprise Division during a visit to their house that was destroyed by the flooding in Stronie Slaskie Photography and video by Kacper Pempel Reporting by Barbara Erling and Kacper Pempel 69-year-old Lucyna Kubica sifts through the remains of what was once her family home destroyed by the worst floods in Poland in at least two decades that washed away the brick walls The Biala Ladecka river in southern Poland normally meanders through a valley lined with spruce trees left their house just minutes before the biggest wave of flooding arrived on Sunday Sept She only grabbed her purse with some documents inside Sitting at the bus stop on the nearest hill she then watched as the floods flowed into her house two days before she had evacuated her elder daughter and her seven-month-old grandson Only her husband of 40 years insisted he would stay until the last minute He thought that nothing would happen,” said Kubica but so far water came into the house only once in 1997,” she said Her house has been in her family since 1946 Her parents moved there when they came back from Germany where they had been sent for forced labor during World War Two As a nearby dam on the adjoining Morawka river burst badly damaging over 30 buildings in the small village of Radochow alone where in the spring she planted vegetables for her grandson Then the front wall of the house collapsed dashing hopes for any chances of reconstruction It’s better to run away from here,” Kubica said At least 26 people died in floods across central Europe last month The flooding left a trail of destruction from Romania to Poland and leaving a bill for damages that will run into billions of dollars As residents in Radochow and the nearby town of Stronie Slaskie were cleaning up over the weekend some said keeping busy helped them cope with the stress of losing their homes who lived in Stronie Slaskie with her husband and children aged seven and eight likens the loss of her home to the grief of losing a loved one They won’t move back into their house which was in her family for two generations but plan to build a new home at a safer location for others it takes longer… I simply don’t know what to do with myself at the moment so I won’t get out of this mourning for a long time,” she said A local beauty shop where Soroko worked as a nail stylist was also destroyed when someone has experienced a loss just like you Soroko and her family found refuge at her parents-in-law’s home She frequently returns to check on their damaged house “I don’t think it ever happened that we would come and not take something from the rubble,” said Soroko a souvenir from her friend’s trip to the city of Poznan rushing waters also severely damaged homes including that of 56-year-old Jolanta Bauer This is the second time that floods have destroyed her home but her family renovated the house and moved back in This time she is uncertain if she can return before winter “You can do some renovations and in half a year you might have to face the same situation.. I wouldn’t have the strength to handle that again,” she said Jolanta Bauer works in her house that was inundated by flooding from the Biala Ladecka river A drone view of damaged rooms in Jolanta Bauer’s house caused by the flooding of the Biala Ladecka river Clothes and other fabrics hang out to dry in the courtyard of Jolanta Bauer’s house in Oldrzychowice Klodzkie A dead goose is seen near Jolanta Bauer’s house in Oldrzychowice Klodzkie Jolanta Bauer looks on in front of her house which was destroyed by the flooding of the Biala Ladecka river A road sign carrying the name of the street is seen in front of Jolanta Bauer’s house People sit near an area destroyed by a flood A building destroyed by a flood is seen in Stronie Slaskie Bicycles are seen near a building destroyed by a flood Lucyna Kubica looks on in front of her house Brushes lean against the wall of Lucyna Kubica’s house A tractor drives near Lucyna Kubica’s house A bridge destroyed by flooding is seen in Stronie Slaskie A house that was destroyed by flooding from the Biala Ladecka river A drone view of a damaged dam on the Morawka river in Stronie Slaskie with Joanna Soroko’s green house damaged by the flooding seen on the left Soldiers clean away wooden debris from in front of Joanna Soroko’s house Basia Soroko lies on the floor of her temporary bedroom at her grandfather’s house in Stronie Slaskie is seen after flooding from the Biala Ladecka river People walk near a building destroyed in a flood A chair and debris are scattered near buildings destroyed by a flood A picture hangs on the wall inside a house in the aftermath of a flood in Stronie Slaskie Debris after a flood is seen in Stronie Slaskie Chairs standing outside a house in the aftermath of a flood Debris near a house is seen in the aftermath of a flood People clean debris a in garden next to a Catholic cross Reporting: Barbara Erling and Kacper Pempel Photo editing: Maye-E Wong and Eve Watling Text editing: Krisztina Than and Alexandra Hudson Despite improvements in Poland's weather and water levels emergency conditions persist in many rivers especially in the southwestern part of the country This has led the Polish government to expand the state of disaster and launch a recovery plan The flood has also impacted the arts sector causing delays and cancellations of concerts and other events The damage from the flood has particularly affected the area where one of Poland's most renowned authors The Nobel laureate has voiced her concerns and issued a special appeal through social media and many other towns need help," Tokarczuk stated referring to the southwestern regions of Poland that are close to her due to her residence She requested financial and material support for the flood victims and urged people to show interest by providing helpful information "This tragic time calls for your solidarity," Tokarczuk emphasized providing details on account numbers where her fans and readers from around the world can donate "As a resident of the Kłodzko County who was fortunate to escape the worst of the disaster but who has only recently become fully aware of the extent of the damage due to power outages and lack of information I am grateful for any form of support," concluded Tokarczuk The following graphic illustrates the extent of the damage caused by the flood in Kłodzko with a similar devastating flood occurring there 27 years ago in 1997 Devastating scenes from Kłodzko, Poland, where yesterday's flood left a trail of destruction.#powodź2024 #Powodź #Kłodzko pic.twitter.com/Y931NNpYuQ Source: FB/Olga Tokarczuk/X/@Weathermonitors The country’s government declared a state of natural disaster due to widespread flooding according to Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk "I convened a meeting to issue an order to declare a state of natural disaster as soon as possible," Tusk said He mentioned that a detailed list of the counties and municipalities affected by the emergency will be provided in Wrocław where a crisis management meeting is set to take place shortly Further clarification will also be given regarding what this state entails and its consequences "As part of the provisions in the state of natural disaster there is a tool that allows for an evacuation order we will only use it when people’s lives are directly in danger," the Polish Prime Minister noted According to the draft ordinance of the Council of Ministers a state of natural disaster will be imposed in the flooded areas for up to 30 days Only necessary restrictions on rights and freedoms will be enforced including an evacuation order and a ban on staying in certain areas Tusk also stated that one billion zloty from the reserve fund will be allocated to aid people affected by the floods the city of Stronie Śląskie in the Lower Silesian Voivodeship was flooded The cause was the breaking of the dam on the Morawka River due to heavy rains Ukraine immediately offered assistance to Poland Ukrainian rescuers are ready to help 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One person drowned and 1,600 people were evacuated in Klodzko county in southwest Poland as local rivers broke record high levels causing flooding in several municipalities after days of heavy rainfall it's most dramatic in Klodzko county," Prime Minister Donald Tusk told reporters on Sunday after meeting with the crisis management team in Klodzko town Some 17,000 households in the county were left without power and mobile connections were not available in some areas Road access to the towns of Ladek Zdroj and Stronie Slaskie was practically cut off was partly under water as the local river rose to 665 cm and surpassing a record seen in heavy flooding in 1997 which partly damaged the town and claimed 56 lives in Poland "I'm calling for residents to cooperate with rescue services where calls for evacuation are issued," Tusk said the mayor ordered compulsory evacuation on Sunday morning as the local river started overflowing the banks local authorities and soldiers have been fighting since Saturday to protect a bridge in the town putting cobble stones on top of the construction to make it heavier and more resilient Firefighters have been working in south-western Poland since the start of the weekend to help contain the flooding More rain is forecast for Sunday and Monday heavy and prolonged rainfall has caused the failure of two dams The Lower Austria region has been particularly hard-hit by extreme weather conditions the initial dams to fail were in Gadersdorf and Pottenbrunn and assistance is only possible in some areas by air Approximately 10,000 emergency responders are involved in rescue operations in Lower Austria Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer added that over 2,000 soldiers have been deployed to assist the rescue efforts and the situation - especially in Lower Austria - is extremely challenging Thousands of firefighters and other emergency services are combating the floods The disaster response forces are working very cohesively and the Austrian Armed Forces have already deployed 2,400 soldiers," he stated on social media platform X (formerly Twitter) ORF reports that military helicopters are being used to drop sandbags to block one of the breached dams including federal routes and two highways near Vienna - the South (A2) and West (A1) highways There are also disruptions in public transport in the eastern region two subway lines are partially out of service due to flooding Authorities are urging residents to avoid non-essential travel and outings Several schools have allowed students to skip classes on Monday Meteorologists forecast that heavy rains in eastern Austria will continue at least until Tuesday it was reported that heavy rainfall caused a dam breach on the Morawka River resulting in the flooding of the town of Stronie Śląskie The evening meeting of the crisis centre in Wrocław was once again chaired by Prime Minister Donald Tusk The Prime Minister stressed that all officials responsible for allocating aid and funding have the duty to make life easier for citizens He also noted the outpouring of support for the authorities protecting cities and towns Crisis management is now in place in Stronie Śląskie and Lądek-Zdrój The flood relief operation is underway in a number of affected cities and towns At the outset of the crisis centre meeting Prime Minister Donald Tusk thanked the authorities for their readiness “I am pleased to say that after the stressful meetings of the last few hours after meeting people who were expecting to be taken care of we are getting to them as quickly as possible,” Deputy Prime Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz noted that there were 700 soldiers in Lądek-Zdrój 500 in Kłodzko itself and 180 in the Kłodzko area 16,000 soldiers are expected to be active in the affected areas in the morning to assist with securing the embankments and evacuating residents Prime Minister Donald Tusk also urged people to keep off the waterlogged embankments the Prime Minister pointed out the outpouring of support among the general public thousands of people decided to help the authorities on their own accord supporting the efforts to protect their cities and towns local government officials were urged to make it easier for construction assessment experts to reach sites that require immediate checks We need to understand as quickly as possible what can be renovated and what needs to be rebuilt That is not all - we need to provide housing and makeshift shelters as well,” the officials in charge of disbursing funds have the duty to make life easier for residents “All officials have the duty to help people with filling in the assistance request forms to enable them to get their 10 000 PLN subsidy as quickly as possible the work of the officials responsible for disbursing funds will be supervised Following the recommendation by Prime Minister Donald Tusk Minister of the Interior and Administration Tomasz Siemoniak decided to suspend some of the powers of the mayors of Stronie Śląskie and Lądek-Zdrój “This is connected with crisis management and relief operations I have appointed Superintendent Michał Kamieniecki to carry out these duties This decision was taken to protect the interests of the residents as Stronie Śląskie and Lądek-Zdrój require good coordination of all authorities “We also need to make the municipal authorities more efficient I urge all officials and employees of the two municipalities to follow Mr as he is there to make sure that people get the help they need,” The mayors of Stronie Śląskie and Lądek-Zdrój will go back to their normal duties when the crisis situation in their cities is brought under control The next briefing concerning the flood will take place on Thursday at 7:00 a.m