“All our dreams flowed from here, they were destroyed”

– All our dreams simply flowed out of here, they were destroyed – says Ewelina Wilda, owner of a barber shop in Kłodzko. – The water took everything. The furniture that was here by the wall. Everything simply flew out through this hole – she describes.

– Everything is flooded. The water was up to the ceiling – says Ewelina Koremba, the owner of a shop in Kłodzko. You can't prepare for such a sight. – This is a shop run for three generations, by my grandmother, father, and now me. Our window was broken. Everything is destroyed – she adds.

– Everything went. We thought that at least there was something inside, but there is not even a wall. Nothing – says Mrs. Marzanna, owner of a clothing store in Kłodzko.

Mrs. Ewelina Wilda, together with a friend, had been running a barber shop for over five years. – My daughter called me: “Mom, the water's gone, I'm at the salon, come over.” So I just grabbed what I could, and here we are, looking, collecting. It's simply impossible to describe. It's hard – says Ewelina Wilda.

READ ALSO: “What are we left with? Nothing.” Collections for flood victims continue across the country

Mrs. Monika and Justyna have had to deal with the same situation since morning in Cieszyn, where they run a joint shop. Also for five years.

– A lot of mud, silt. The fire brigade couldn't pump out the water because we had too much silt in the shop. So we did everything ourselves with our own hands – reports Justyna Kiepura, co-owner of a clothing shop in Cieszyn.

Mr. Wojtek also tried to save what he could, but the water appeared too quickly and there was too much of it.

– The house needs renovation. What's more, all the furniture, floors, tiles – everything needs to be thrown away – describes Mr. Antoni, a resident of Siedlęcin.

These are the emotions that are filling thousands of Polish homes today. Mr. Antoni lives in Siedlęcin near Jelenia Góra, where the Bóbr River has flooded. He took shelter from the wave with his neighbors. – I bought a stove for 40 thousand, I didn't even light it. To be thrown away – says Mr. Antoni.

– I was scared. Yesterday I prayed and cried – says Teresa Stokłosińska, a resident of Czechowice-Dziedzice. In the morning, Mrs. Teresa was evacuated by firefighters in an amphibious vehicle. She does not know when she will be able to return home.

– I still have no access to the salon – says Marta Woźniak, owner of a beauty salon in Głuchołazy, a city completely flooded. – I won't risk my health and life to get there, but from what I know from my neighbors who live upstairs, it was flooded to the ceiling – she says. On Tuesday, she will try to go there again.