The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, announced today from Wroclaw, Poland, that Brussels will provide €10 billion in aid from the EU’s Cohesion Funds to the Central European countries affected by the floods.

The head of the Commission met in this city with the leaders of four Central European countries that were affected by storm Boris. Heavy rains, floods and strong winds killed 24 people in the Czech Republic, Austria, Poland and Romania.

“At first sight, it is possible to release 10 billion euros from the Cohesion Funds for the affected countries. This is an urgent response,” von der Leyen said after meeting the prime ministers of Poland, the Czech Republic and Slovakia and the Austrian chancellor. “It was heartbreaking (…) to see the devastation and despair” caused by the floods, he added.

Von der Leyen said the EU has two potential sources of aid, the Cohesion Funds and the Solidarity Funds, which it could use “to help finance recovery and reconstruction”. “We will use the Cohesion Funds in an unusual way” so that this money can meet needs flexibly, he noted.

This regional meeting was held in Wroclaw, in western Poland, a city of 670,000 people besieged by water. Today, the level rose to its highest point, although not as high as it was recorded in 1997, when Wrocław experienced devastating floods. However, the waters may not recede for several days, raising concerns about the durability of the dams.

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk warned residents not to become complacent, thinking “the worst is over”.

The rain has stopped in much of the region, but swollen rivers still threaten towns and villages. In some places the water “destroyed literally everything” leaving a landscape reminiscent of a “war zone”, said Polish Infrastructure Minister Dariusz Klimczak.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, who canceled all his international commitments because of Storm Boris, did not go to the Wrocław summit, as did his Romanian counterpart because of a meeting of the Supreme National Defense Council.

Poland’s government said it would release 2 billion zlotys (470 million euros) for those affected, while the Austrian government announced on Wednesday that aid would reach 1 billion euros.