In the north-eastern Czech Republic, near the border with Poland, two large rivers have overflowed and left huge areas completely destroyed by the water masses.
– It’s terrible, it went right up to the castle garden, it’s a disaster. All the sidewalks are destroyed, everything has collapsed here, everything is destroyed around the store. Everything is ruined, it’s a nightmare. It will take forever to put everything right, says 76-year-old Eliska Cokreska.
The water has begun to recede and clearing work has begun in several places, but it will take time.
– There were two meters of water flowing through the streets, a vortex undermined the house, we don’t know how it will end, whether it has to be demolished or not. There are many wrecked cars floating along the street. It’s terrible, it takes a lot of work, says Zdenek Kuzilek.
“Looks like after an apocalypse”
The downpours and floods, which mainly affected the Czech Republic, Poland, Austria and Romania, have led to enormous devastation and several deaths. Dams have burst, electricity has been knocked out and entire cities have been submerged.
– The city’s losses are impossible to imagine. All the bridges are broken and the asphalt is coming off. The city does not have enough money to make repairs. The city looks like after an apocalypse. I would call it a ghost town, says 16-year-old Szymon Krzysztan.
TV4 News on location
TV4 News is on the spot in flood victims in Poland.
– It is wet, very, very wet. At the same time as it is difficult to get an overview as the affected area is so incredibly large. A little while ago, the evacuation alarm went off in Nysa, a city where 40,000 people live and are now being asked to leave. It underlines how serious this situation is, says reporter Filip Jacobson.
People that TV4 Nyheterna talks to say that what they most want is information about what is going on.
– Throughout the day, we heard helicopters above us with people who got stuck because of the water masses, says Filip Jacobson.