Cieszyn. Flooded streets, rain forecast

The Olza, the border river between Polish and Czech Cieszyn, rose 3 meters in the 24 hours to Sunday morning and reached the level of the bridges, carrying tree branches in its swift current. It was dangerous. Then the level dropped a bit. Around noon, the authorities of Polish Cieszyn announced that they were opening the border bridges, which were closed due to the threat of flooding.

However, residents cannot sleep peacefully. The Institute of Meteorology and Water Management issued further meteorological warnings for the Silesian province on Sunday. Thunderstorms are forecast in the region from Sunday evening, and heavy rain with thunderstorms in the southern part of the province.

A first-degree warning of heavy rain and thunderstorms is in effect from 7 p.m. on Sunday until Monday morning and covers the southern part of the region – Bielsko-Biała and the Bielsk, Żywiec and Cieszyn counties.

“Moderate rainfall is forecast, with periods of heavy rainfall. The amount of rainfall in places will be from 30 mm to 50 mm. The rainfall will be accompanied by storms with wind gusts of up to 65 km/h” – reports IMGW.

The authorities of the Czech Cieszyn, like the entire country, are preparing for a cataclysm. On Sunday morning, they ordered the evacuation of parts of the city, including the center, located closest to the Olza River. This concerns several thousand people. Residents are asked to move to the primary school or the city hall. Public transport buses, which have not been operating since Saturday, have been prepared for the evacuation.

On the Polish side, residents have been relocated from Jana Łyska Avenue, which runs along Olza and Piastowska. Many streets and properties have been flooded. Jana Łyska and 3 Maja streets to Przykop are closed until further notice. The authorities are appealing to people not to approach the banks of the river.

The staroste of Cieszyn announced a flood alarm for the entire district.

“A wave of heavy rainfall caused over 1,100 interventions by firefighters in our district. On Saturday, firefighters intervened as many as 344 times, with the largest number, 171 times, in the Zebrzydowice Commune. The night from Saturday to Sunday brought more calls – from midnight to 9:00 a.m., firefighters recorded 758 interventions,” the Cieszyn starosty reports on Facebook.

There are 80 fire brigades working in the district. Not only local ones, but also from Jastrzębie-Zdrój, Chorzów, Tarnowskie Góry and volunteers from Żywiec district. They secure properties and evacuate residents.

In Ustroń, many municipal buildings and private properties were flooded. In Skoczów – practically the entire city center. The Bładnica River overflowed its banks in Międzyświeć, where 23 residents were evacuated, who found shelter in fire stations in Skoczów and Pierściec.

For the rest of the region, a warning was issued, also at the first level, against storms, which are expected from 7 p.m. to 1 a.m. “Storms are forecast, which will be accompanied by heavy rainfall of up to 20 mm and wind gusts of up to 70 km/h in places,” the release said.