Flood waters in Central Europe sweep towards eastern Germany

The surging flood waters that have caused 12 deaths and extensive damage across Central Europe are sweeping north and east along rivers including the Danube and Elbe, heading north from Prague to eastern Germany, local and international media said.

The Czech Republic, which has seen seven deaths and thousands of people evacuated, has taken emergency steps to reduce the risk of flooding in the northern Bohemian city of Ústí nad Labem. The country’s prime minister has pledged funding to deal with the impact of the floods.

Water levels of the Danube at Budapest are expected to peak around June 9 or 10. The Hungarian capital already has taken a number of emergency steps, including road closures along Budapest river banks.

In Germany, the city of Dresden was inundated while in the federal state of Saxony, about 10 000 people had been evacuated from their homes, euronews said.

In Austria, the Danube has not been as high for 10 years. 20 000 emergency personnel have been deployed. Vienna was expected to see the record levels set in 2002 surpassed in the next 24 to 48 hours.

Czech agriculture minister Petr Bendl ordered a reduction in the flow of water from a dam system in southern Bohemia on June 4 to help protect Ústí nad Labem. The River Labe was expected to culminate in Ústí nad Labem on the evening of June 5, at a height of up to 11.5 metres.

Czech prime minister Petr Nečas has pledged 5.3 billion Czech crowns towards dealing with the impact of the floods.

In Hungary on June 4, the lower embankments on the Buda and Pest sides were closed to traffic. It might be necessary to evacuate residential areas near the Római Part

riverside promenade in Obuda, District III mayor István Tarlós said on June 4.

Hungary’s National Water Management Directorate’s flood defence coordination body OMIT forecasts the level of the Danube will peak at 890cm (above a “normal” reference level) on June 7 at Nagybajcs, in the north west just over the border from Slovakia.

Hungary’s nuclear power plant in Paks is not in danger from the Danube flooding, CEO of MVM Paks István Hamvas told online news portal Index.hu.

In Slovakia, the level of the Danube River in Bratislava exceeded 900 centimetres on June 4, which triggered a third-degree flood warning. The river is expected to continue rising, with the Slovak Hydrometeorological Institute (SHMÚ) expecting it to crest on June 6. In addition to the Danube, the level of the Morava River near Devínska Nová Ves also rose, exceeding 740 centimetres on June 4. Bratislava mayor Milan Ftáčnik has already declared a state of emergency for the whole city of Bratislava.

With reporting by The Prague Post, The Budapest Times and The Slovak Spectator

(Photo: Adam Marsal/The Prague Post)

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