The situation is still very dramatic in many places – said Prime Minister Donald Tusk in Kłodzko after a briefing with the services. He appealed to residents of various towns to follow orders regarding evacuation. – When there is a possibility of evacuation, it is worth taking advantage of it, because at any moment something can happen that will make this evacuation difficult – he emphasized. The head of government also reported that “we have the first confirmed death by drowning in the Kłodzko district”.
On Sunday morning, the Prime Minister Donald Tusk took part in a briefing with uniformed services in Kłodzko (Lower Silesia) in connection with the current flood situation. After the briefing, he addressed the media.
As the head of government said, “the situation is still very dramatic in many places”. He said that in the Kłodzko district, the worst situation is in Stronie Śląskie and Lądek-Zdrój.
– I received information that a moment ago we managed to restore the possibility of road transport to Stronie. There was a serious breach there, but at the moment it will probably be possible to travel to Stronie and back for a longer period of time – he said. He added that in this town “there has already been a fairly large evacuation action, people have moved to safe parts of the city”.
Tusk after the briefing in Kłodzko. “The situation is indeed still very dramatic in many places”TVN24
Tusk appeals to residents
According to the Prime Minister, “some residents sometimes underestimate the level of threat and refuse to evacuate”. – So I want to repeat once again on behalf of all services, especially firefighters, that wherever there is a call to evacuate, these recommendations should be immediately followed – he appealed.
– This weather situation means that when there is a possibility of evacuation, it is worth taking advantage of it, because at any moment something can happen that will make this evacuation difficult – he noted.
Tusk: I appeal to everyone to immediately follow the recommendations wherever there is a call to evacuateTVN24
He also said that “there are power outages”. – According to the report of the mayor, this currently concerns seventeen thousand residents in the district. At the moment we do not have the ability to quickly repair these failures in those places where flooding occurred, so the fire department is currently organizing the delivery of generators to where it will be necessary. But of course let's not kid ourselves, this electricity will not be available everywhere – he noted.
He said that the problem with accessibility concerns both telephony and the internet. – We made the decision to use Starlinks, but this will not be widely available either – he said. According to him, “this should also facilitate any rescue or aid operations”.
As he said, “when it comes to the report on rail routes, it's not bad”. In Lower Silesia, “train traffic has been restored everywhere, and it's proceeding without major disruptions”. – The roads are flooded in places and the situation is changing from hour to hour, so I won't be reporting these situations now, because they could be out of date at any moment. We have to check them on an ongoing basis – he said.
– As for the situation at the reservoirs, it is serious in Kłodzko County. The most difficult situation is in Stronie (Śląskie) and Międzybórz. There have been some voices saying that the dam might not hold, but they are not true. The dam should hold – he continued.
“We have the first confirmed death by drowning”
Donald Tusk also announced that “we have the first confirmed death by drowning in the Kłodzko district.”
He also announced that “we are mobilizing helicopters”. – The first Black Hawk is arriving in Wrocław. It will also be equipped with rescue capabilities. LPR helicopters will also be available. We hope that there will be no such need, but we really want to be prepared for such an eventuality – he said.
Tusk: We have the first confirmed death by drowningTVN24
The Prime Minister was asked, among other things, about introducing the possibility of forced evacuation. – Without full synergy, cooperation and good will of all involved, including those in need of help, no coercion will give us anything – said the head of government.
According to him, it is necessary to reach the minds and hearts of people so that they understand and remember that if they refuse to evacuate, they pose a serious risk not only to themselves but also to the services. As he explained, when the situation becomes more difficult, then a possible evacuation requires much more effort.
– However, I cannot imagine that we would use direct coercion against people. This would not make it easier for the police or the fire brigade to act – he said. – In the Kłodzko district, 1,600 people were evacuated, these are primarily local evacuations, like in Stronie (Śląskie) people are moving to higher parts of the city – informed the prime minister. – We expect that there will be many more of these evacuations – he added.
Tusk also spoke about Głuchołazy. – The situation in Głuchołazy – we were there yesterday – unfortunately has clearly worsened. The bridge has held for now, both of them, but the water is pouring over the bridge and unfortunately it is pouring over the makeshift embankments that people put so much effort into building yesterday, and four streets are flooded in the same way – he informed.
– This is also another reason to take the recommendations seriously – he added. The Prime Minister reminded that “the area near the bridge was supposed to be evacuated, but there are still a lot of people living there”. The Prime Minister reminded the residents to follow the recommendations of the services in a disciplined manner.
Main image source: TVN24