European authorities say more rain expected as floods’ death toll rises
Catastrophic flooding has killed at least seven people in central and eastern Europe, where more severe weather is expected this week.
Floods or heavy snow have hit Austria, the Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Poland, Romania and Slovakia. Authorities have evacuated people from homes drenched by rain. Photos show deluged cars, destroyed businesses and stranded people.
The storm, which some forecasters named Boris, was caused by Arctic air sweeping south through Europe and running into warmer air. The weather system also buried many towns in snow.
How severe is the storm?
Authorities in the eastern Romanian county of Galati sent boats to rescue residents and ordered the national police to assist. Residents will also receive enough water and food for one week and can stay in temporary modular homes, officials said.
Romania’s environment minister, Mircea Fechet, told the Associated Press that some areas were hit with 42 gallons of rain per square meter, a rare volume of precipitation. Fechet visited Slobozia Conachi and Pechea in Galati County’s south, he wrote in a Facebook post Sunday; he said he was in touch with members of the water utility.
Water safety is a priority during flooding because treatment plants can get overwhelmed to the point of releasing dirty water, and groundwater can also become contaminated.
That was the case in Klodzko, a Polish town on the Czech border about 85 miles northeast of Prague. The city’s water utility warned residents of possible contamination from flooding and recommended that customers not drink tap water, according to national newspaper Rzeczpospolita. Waters in the city center reached about 5 feet deep at some points.
The snowfall was also unusually intense.
For some areas of the Austrian Alps, it was the first time on record that snow accumulated in September.
Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer called the situation “very serious” Saturday and said almost everywhere in the country had been affected by heavy rainfall or snowfall.
“The peak has not yet been reached and the coming days will be extremely difficult and challenging for the affected population and the emergency services,” Nehammer wrote on X. On Sunday, he wrote that schools would close and that 2,400 military members were on standby.
Forecasters have said the weather system will remain into the workweek.
How many people have died?
At least seven people have died – five in Romania, one in Poland and one in Austria – since the rains began Friday, according to officials.
In Romania, emergency responders found the bodies of four people in Galati County, the national emergency management agency posted on Facebook.
On Sunday, officials confirmed a fifth death, Galati County Council President Costel Fotea posted on Facebook. He wrote that the storm has affected more than 5,500 homes and triggered the evacuation of more than 300 people.
In Austria, a firefighter died while working in the floods, Austrian Vice Chancellor Werner Kogler wrote Sunday on X. The firefighter died after “slipping on stairs” while pumping out a flooded basement in the town of Tulln, the head of the fire department of Lower Austria, Dietmar Fahrafellner, told the AP on Sunday.
The death in Poland was a drowning case, Prime Minister Donald Tusk said at a briefing Sunday, according to local media reports.
On Sunday, Tusk wrote on X that he had issued a disaster declaration, a step toward requesting European Union aid.
What’s the forecast for Boris?
A dozen areas in the Czech Republic and Slovakia were under flood advisories as of late Sunday morning Eastern time, according to Meteoalarm, a weather tool created by the European Network of National Meteorological Services. Portions of Austria, Germany and Poland were under heavy-rain advisories.
The Danube River in Hungary’s capital, Budapest, was expected to rise during the later part of the week to almost 28 feet, Reuters reported – nearly a foot from the record of 29.2 feet, set in 2013.
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Ian Livingston contributed to this report.
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