Flood, Lądek-Zdrój cut off from the world. Catastrophic destruction. Report from the city

Already on Saturday, the mayor of Lądek-Zdrój, Tomasz Nowicki, informed that the situation in the city and the commune villages had become so difficult that in the evening he ordered the evacuation of some residents and their property, including livestock. “There is no point in waiting any longer, the Biała Lądecka River has burst its banks and is flooding our streets and roads like in 1997. It can only get worse with each passing hour, so it is worth using the help of the firefighters and evacuating. The situation is difficult not only in the city, but also in Radochów and Trzebieszowice, because these villages are also flooded,” he informed on Saturday evening. When it seemed that the situation was slowly starting to stabilize. Something happened that no one expected.

The tvn24.pl journalist spoke to Ms. Olga, who witnessed what happened in Lądek-Zdrój over the weekend. – The situation seemed okay for a while. I arrived in Lądek on Friday from Wrocław. There was no alarming information, there was no sign anywhere that the river was rising much. However, it was raining quite heavily, especially at night, and information about the dam in Stronie Śląskie began to appear, but there was nothing on the websites that would suggest that things could be so serious – Ms. Olga described to us. – Late in the evening, there was no water or electricity for a while. Then it went back to normal. It seemed okay, but around 1 a.m. things started to get worst, because I saw in the report that the dam in Stronie was leaking and we lost electricity. In the morning, alerts came that residents of the areas around Biała Lądecka, Lądek, Kłodzko would be evacuated, but I generally live upstairs, so I wasn't too concerned. When I woke up, there were no media, no communication at all – no internet, no way to call anyone – she added.

– In the morning I went to the market square – because I live on a hill, so if it flooded us, Lądek would not exist – my first surprise was that the water, which in 1997 barely reached the market square, was now much higher. This wave was going down Ogrodowa Street – a wave that literally carried cars and everything it could take with it – trees, bins, a lot of garbage, various waste and of course also a lot of mud – reported Mrs. Olga. – A river literally flows through the market square. When I was leaving the city, a helicopter was flying and picking up people who were lower – she described. The resident waited for about three hours and decided to leave the city, via the viaduct, which was previously blocked. – They unblocked this viaduct, because the water started to recede from 2 p.m. and now I am on the A4 motorway – the woman summed up after 6 p.m.

As reported by residents on social media, the rushing water that passed through Lądek-Zdrój symbolically carried away a very important figure of St. John of Nepomuk, perched on a stone bridge, whose history dates back to the 16th century. “My heart is torn. Nepomuk from the St. John's Bridge in Lądek-Zdrój carried away by the furious waters of the Biała Lądecka,” wrote one of the residents.

Jacek Tacik, a reporter from “Fakty” TVN, reported in the evening on TVN24 that Lądek-Zdrój was cut off from the world for many hours on Sunday. He added that he could get to Paczków, which is 23 kilometers away from Lądek-Zdrój, by driving through The czech republic. – Every road from and to Lądek was either flooded or cut off. The main bridge leading through Lądek was closed by the fire department and other services under threat of collapse. After a few hours it was opened for a moment and we used this moment to get out to the Czech Republic and then to Poland to Paczków – Jacek Tacik reported. – The city is cut off from the world, there is no running water, no electricity, no telephone connection, many residents have been evacuated and will spend this night in special rooms prepared for them in schools and the municipal kindergarten. This will certainly be a very difficult night for them – added the reporter of “Fakty” TVN.

Jacek Tacik reported what Ms. Olga had said. He informed that the dam in Stronie Śląskie could not withstand the pressure of the water. – The dam, which survived in 1997, did not withstand it this time. The water turned out to be stronger. This gigantic, several-meter wave devastated everything it encountered in its path – it destroyed roads, bridges – in fact, in a dozen or so minutes people lost all their life's possessions. This water not only penetrated their homes, but literally destroyed buildings, tore out entire walls, Lądek-Zdrój looks as if the army had passed through there, as if there had been a war there, it is very devastated – he described. The reporter of “Fakty” TVN informed that the evacuation of residents of Paczków, located 23 kilometers from Lądek-Zdrój, is underway. – The evacuation of people who live by the river is underway. The firefighters evacuated, among others, an elderly woman who could not get out of her home on her own. Every now and then, the police come here and appeal to the residents to leave their homes as soon as possible, because “this will be the biggest wave that Paczków has never seen,” he said.