Central Europe rushes to shore up flood defences amid evacuations

Emergency services are shoring up flood defences in Central and Eastern Europe after torrential rainfall swelled rivers and damaged thousands of homes.

Storm Boris proved deadly in Romania, where four people were killed during floods in the south-eastern region of Galati.

In the Czech Republic, flooding has led to evacuations and 51,000 households in the country’s northern areas have been hit by power outages, Czech power company CEZ says. Flood barriers have gone up in the capital Prague.

Poland also evacuated some people from Glucholazy, a town near the Czech border, after a river burst its banks.

“We are again facing the effects of climate change, which are increasingly present on the European continent, with dramatic consequences,” Romanian President Klaus Iohannis said on Saturday.

Extreme precipitation is becoming more likely in Europe, as across much of the world, due to climate change.

A warmer atmosphere can hold more moisture, which can lead to heavier rainfall.

The mayor of Slobozia Conachi, a village in Romania’s Galati region, said 700 homes had been flooded.

“This is a catastrophe of epic proportions,” Emil Dragomir said.

In Glucholazy, in Poland’s southwestern Opole region, firefighters piled up sandbags as residents were evacuated.

A similar effort is taking place in Krakow, Poland’s second largest city, with residents offered sandbags for flood protection.

Glucholazy resident Piotr Jakubiec said he had prepared sandbags and pumps to divert the water but that it was “impossible to predict what’s going to happen”.

“This is the second time in my life that I’ve seen such a phenomenon. It’s a nightmare for the people who live here,” he said.

Another resident, Zofia Owsiaka, said everyone in the town was “scared” and there seemed to be “no hope of the rain stopping”.

In the city of Wroclaw thousands of residents had to use the staircases of high-rise blocks because lifts were shut as a flood safety precaution, local media reported.

In the Czech Republic, a dam burst in the country’s South Bohemia region on Saturday. Environment Minister Petr Hladik urged those in the worst-hit areas to prepare to leave their homes.

Hladik said the ground was saturated and rainwater was staying on the surface – increasing the risk of flash floods. Rain in the Czech Republic is expected until Tuesday, the minister said.

Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala said the country braced for “a tough weekend”. Authorities have put up protective walls of sandbags and metal barriers.

Football matches in the country’s top two leagues scheduled for this weekend were cancelled.