On Tuesday, there is no longer a state of extreme flood threat anywhere in the Czech Republic. In the south of the country, the water is still not receding, but it is expected that it will not cause damage comparable to that in the north and east of the country. Flood victims have started cleaning up and assessing the damage. They lack drinking water and electricity.
The water level in Czech rivers is falling and they are receding from flooded cities. They are leaving behind mud, dead animals, damaged houses, washed-out railway tracks, destroyed streets and squares in towns and cities. Firefighters, as well as soldiers and volunteers, are working to remove the effects of the flood. The government has sent two thousand soldiers with equipment to this work.
Flood victims are now most often demanding the restoration of electricity and gas. They also complain about the lack of telephone connections. This is the case in Bohumín on the border with Poland, as well as Ostrava, Jesionki and Karniów. It is not known when the Ostrava metropolitan area will have warm water. Experts from the flooded CHP plant say that this year's flood has caused greater damage than the one considered the worst in the region in 1997.
Flood in Ostrava (photo from September 17) PAP/EPA/MARTIN DIVISEK
Flood in the Czech Republic
“The places affected by the flood resemble scenes from apocalyptic films. The destruction is enormous,” wrote Prime Minister Petr Fiala on Platform X after reviewing the situation in Ostrava. The government decided to allow the use of state geological services, which assess the statics of buildings damaged by the flood. The inspection also applies to roads and bridges. After such verification, experts have already issued a verdict, among others, on one of the important bridges in Opava.
The atmosphere of the end of the nightmare, but also of relief, which is visible in places where the water is receding, is contrasted by the fear of residents of the south of the country. There, the waters are still rising and are heading towards peak values. It is expected that they will not cause damage comparable to that in the north and east, but reports related to the situation in the huge, largest in Czech Republic Rožmberk fish pond.
The banks of this reservoir, established in the 16th century, could not withstand the pressure of the water, which flowed through prepared channels to uninhabited areas. However, fears that they would then feed the Luznica River, which would threaten the picturesque village of Veseli nad Luznici, have not disappeared.
Main image source: PAP/EPA/MARTIN DIVISEK