Poland declares state of emergency – Bratislava and Budapest prepare for possible, catastrophic Danube overflow
The biblical floods caused by storm Boris in central Europe over the weekend have killed at least 15 people, according to the latest count, mostly in Romania and Poland.
The border areas between the Czech Republic and Poland were the hardest hit. Many cities have been inundated with debris-filled waters, bridges collapsed and houses destroyed, while villages and towns in eastern Romania were underwater.
Poland’s government declared a state of disaster in the country, allocating 1 billion zlotys ($260.31 million) for victims of the dramatic floods.
In the Czech Republic, the overnight rise in the Morava River caused 70% of the town of Litovel to flood – in the worst flooding in 30 years.
In Hungary, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, who was due to deliver a speech to the European Parliament in Strasbourg on Wednesday as part of the rotating presidency of the European Union, announced today that he was canceling his speech due to the storm.
“Due to extreme weather conditions and floods (…) I have postponed all of my international commitments,” the nationalist leader wrote to X. “I’m not leaving the country until the worst is over,” Orbán added in a video posted on Facebook.
The President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metzola, spoke to Viktor Orbán and expressed her support to “all those affected” by the bad weather.
Also, the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, in her message to X expressed her solidarity with the affected people and stated that the EU will support them.
Alert for the Danube
Although river waters on the Czech-Polish border have started to recede today, flooding is spreading to more areas and major cities in both countries remain on alert.
Slovakia’s capital Bratislava and Hungary’s capital Budapest are both bracing for possible, catastrophic flooding of the Danube as water levels rise alarmingly.
According to Hungarian Interior Minister Sándor Pinter, the government is fully ready to act and efforts are currently focused on “keeping the Danube River and its tributaries on their banks.” He further stated that 12,000 troops are on standby to help if needed.
In Austriariver and lake levels dropped overnight as rainfall eased, but officials said they were bracing for a second wave, with heavier rain expected in the coming hours.
Source :Skai
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