At least 17 people have lost their lives from the bad weather Boris which continues to hit central and eastern Europe, causing devastating floods.

Specifically, victims are recorded in the Czech Republic, Poland, Austria and Romania. Authorities warn that the situation could deteriorate further in the coming days.

In the Czech Republic, a woman drowned in rapids near the town of Brundal, while seven other people are missing. Hundreds of thousands of people have been forced to flee their homes in Austria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Romania and Slovakia as floods cause widespread damage to infrastructure.

In particular, the mayor of the Polish city of Nysa, Kordian Kolbiarz, asked its 44,000 residents to evacuate as widespread flooding continues to hit central Europe. Specifically, he asked them to head for higher ground.

Poland’s prime minister, Donald Tusk, called an emergency cabinet meeting to speed up financial and other support for victims, while his Hungarian counterpart, Viktor Orban, canceled all international commitments.

In Austria, two elderly men died when they were trapped in their homes by rising waters, while in Poland six people have died, including a surgeon who drowned on his way back from hospital duty.

In the Austrian town of St Polten, more rain fell in four days than the wettest autumn on record in 1950. Chancellor Karl Nehammer said the armed forces were deployed to provide aid to areas hit by the storm. Austria’s climate ministry said 300 million euros in recovery funds would be made available.

Most parties suspended campaigning for the federal election due in less than two weeks on September 29.

Due to the bad weather, dams have broken, roads have turned into rivers, and many houses have had power outages. In the Czech Republic, 12,000 people have been displaced from their homes, while 119,000 households are without power. In Romania, floods have destroyed homes and livestock, leaving residents in despair.

Budapest is on alert

Further heavy rainfall is also expected to hit Slovakia and Hungary directly. Budapest has announced it will close roads near the Danube River that runs through the Hungarian capital, citing the risk of flooding. The river rises by about a meter every 24 hours, with the mayor of Budapest offering residents a million sandbags to protect against flooding.

Some tram lines will not operate, while roads along the river have been closed in the Hungarian capital since Monday afternoon. Trains between Budapest and Vienna have also been cancelled.

In Slovakia, the overflowing Danube River caused flooding in the Old Town area of ​​the capital, Bratislava, with local media reporting that water levels exceeded 9 meters (30 feet) and were expected to rise further.

Storm Boris is expected to move further south towards Italy in the next few hours, where it will intensify again and bring heavy rainfall. The Emilia-Romagna region is set to be hit hardest, with 100-150mm of rain.