A week after the passage of the storm Boris over central Europe, the first flooded territories have started to recede, or have even completely got rid of the water that had submerged them. This is the case of Kłodzko in the southwest of Poland which was submerged by several meters of water last weekend. Other cities downstream of the rivers are experiencing delayed flooding.
3 min
With our special correspondent in Klodzko and Brzeg, Adrien Sarlat
Entering the city, you feel like you are on the set of a war movie. The contrast between the green, pink, purple dollhouses of the typical Polish old town and the piles of mud and rubbish piled up in the streets is truly impressive.
Also readStorm Boris, aggravated by climate change, devastates regions of Central and Eastern Europe
Along the roads, the signs are torn off, and you see piles of shapeless waste, household appliances, armchairs, sofas still damp and stained with mud and a whole bunch of other vestiges of daily life reduced to crumbs and blackened by peat.
Delayed floods
While cities were submerged from the first days While the clean-up operations are underway, the receding water levels have resulted in floods downstream of the rivers. New towns have therefore been flooded with a delayed effect, while the sun is shining again on the region.
” All this is at my place “In Brzeg, Barbara didn’t even bother to put on boots to wade through the 50 cm of water flooding her ground floor. The water came from over there, from the side of mom’s room. Everything went from the side of the canal. It’s a tragedy, because the apartment is flooded. But once the water is there, what can you do? Fire goes out, but you can’t do anything against water. “, laments the young woman.
Standing in her living room, submerged up to her thighs in brown water, she can already imagine what will happen next. Around her, the softened floorboards float. This is the third time in her life that she has experienced a flood. Once the water is drained, we will take everything, we will have to throw everything away and repair the house. ” she explains.
” This can lead to epidemics »
But on the other side of the river, Danuta is taking the situation less calmly. The water that floods her garden and stairwell over 1.50 m is not from the river, but from the pipes that have exploded. All this is excrement, it will bring us diseases, it is full of bacteria. It can lead to epidemics. And above all, this water really stinks! ” she laments.
While waiting for the water to be pumped out, both parties are patiently waiting upstairs or outside. The firefighters and the army are still trying to control the flooding in the city.
Czech local and senatorial elections overshadowed by devastating floods
At a time when many people are busy repairing flood damagethis election is not really a priority, but the Czech government did not consider it necessary to postpone it, reports our correspondent in Prague, Alexis Rosenzweig.
For several days now, Czech public television has been giving information on how to vote if you have lost your identity papers in the floods or how to find ballot papers in these exceptional circumstances. At least five people have died, several others are still missing, and more than 100,000 homes have been affected in the Czech Republic by last week’s floods, but Interior Minister Vit Rakusan has not wanted to give up on organizing the vote.
” If there is no polling station, then the firefighters will set up a tent and they can be there, also with generators. If there is no telephone network, then there will be a satellite link provided. ” he said.
The Interior Ministry will have to organize the vote itself in five of the most flood-affected localities. Opposition leader Andrej Babis says the floods are another way to criticize the current government for its inaction. We will see what influence this flood disaster will have ” he said.
Despite the extensive damage, the worst seems to have been avoided in the Czech Republic and the government has just announced that European aid to the worst-hit regions will amount to around two billion euros.