Floods in Poland 2024. Headquarters in Głogów. Almost half of the district in the “potential flood zone”

Prime minister Donald Tusk took part in the crisis headquarters in Głogów (Lower Silesia) on Saturday evening. Opening the meeting, he said that “a serious threat may appear in the vicinity of Głogów, not in the city itself”. He added that the Krzepów housing estate in Głogów is located in such a way that it is usually flooded at high water levels. – At the moment, the water there is knee-deep, but this does not apply to the entire city – said the prime minister.

Then representatives of local authorities and services took the floor.

The staroste of the Głogów district, Michał Wnuk, said that “the area of ​​the district is 443 square kilometres, of which 208 kilometres is a potential flood zone in the event of the Odra overflowing the embankments”.

– At the moment, the situation on the Odra looks like this: we have 654 centimetres of water level (at 7 p.m. – ed.). The forecast water level is seven metres. Our embankments are currently about seven metres fifteen centimetres high, in some places seven metres twenty centimetres, so there is a risk of water potentially overflowing the embankments. I hope that this will not happen – he said.

He also said that an “arbitrary evacuation” was announced today. “We have asked residents from potentially endangered areas to go to higher ground and that is already starting to happen,” he said.

– We expect the peak wave tomorrow night, i.e. from Sunday to Monday – said the starost, adding that on Saturday morning the level of the Odra in the district “exceeded six meters”.

A call for self-evacuation addressed to residents of flood areas in the municipalities of Kotla, Żukowice, Pęcław and Głogów was published on Saturday on the social media of the Głogów district.

IMGW estimates that the flood wave in Głogów will peak between noon on Sunday and noon on Monday, with a water level of 700 cm. The alert level is 450 cm.

The District Commander of the State Fire Service in Głogów, Senior Brigadier Paweł Dziadosz, said that the reinforcement of the embankments is underway in the region. Almost 150 State Fire Service firefighters, 250 Volunteer Fire Service firefighters and 320 soldiers are working, as well as prisoners from the penitentiary. He also emphasized that a large number of residents are working on the embankments.

He added that there were no reports of embankments breaking or local flooding. However, as he pointed out, in one of the localities there is a so-called backflow of a river that is a tributary of the Odra and fields are being flooded. The water is also reaching buildings, and manholes are being broken. The District Police Commander in Głogów, Senior Commissioner Grzegorz Niewiada, reported that 120 officers are operating in the field. They have been sent to all threatened communes, they are monitoring the embankments, ensuring that access roads to the embankments are passable, reaching residents at risk of flooding, and at night they are guarding the safety of homes.

Head of the Ministry of National Defense Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz he said that the situation in Brzeg Dolny is still difficult, but the information coming from these areas is better. He noted that in two places the embankments are damaged and are being reinforced.

The Deputy Prime Minister added that in the vicinity of Brzeg Dolny many people decide not to evacuate, but the services are ready to provide them with the necessary items if necessary.

Kosiniak-Kamysz added that in Szprotawa, water from the swollen Bóbr flooded about 60 houses, but it mainly entered the basements. Since the river is still above the alarm level there, but there is no longer a threat of flooding, sandbags are being transported from Szprotawa to Nowa Sól.

The mayor of the Żukowice commune near Głogów, Krzysztof Wołoszyn, informed in turn that in his opinion the embankments in his commune “were neglected by the Polish Waters”. As he said, they were not mowed and the commune mowed them on its own a week ago. At the same time, Wołoszyn also informed that over three thousand tons of sand and 130 thousand bags were used in the commune to strengthen the embankments and in his opinion they are built up enough that “they should hold”.

At the end of the staff meeting, the Prime Minister also stated that “there is no fundamental problem with potential or actual criminals taking advantage of the flood situation”. – But it is also important for people to know that where these problems are more serious, the police are very effective in catching these people. After all, we already have monitoring almost everywhere – he pointed out.

– The guy I mentioned in Wrocław, the one who pretended to be a soldier in uniform and told various offices that the embankments would be blown up, he was arrested and today he was sentenced to three months of detention by court order. So no one is being lenient there, as you have noticed – he emphasized.

As he said, “the smallest theft, if it is clearly in an area at risk or affected by a natural disaster, as you can see, the courts act very quickly”. – You can also tell people: don't be afraid if you have to evacuate. If someone tries to raise a hand on your property, they will pay for it very quickly, at a very high price and will be severely punished – he added.

Boss Ministry of Interior and Administration Tomasz Siemoniak appealed on Saturday to go to special hubs in Opole and Wrocław to help flood victims, and not directly to the affected towns. He noted that the roads that the services need to reach first are blocked by trucks carrying aid.

– When it comes to the situation here, in the Głogów district, we are trying to respond to all needs wherever the wave arrives and passes quickly – said Siemoniak.

– We are in ongoing contact when it comes to providing information. We have resources from the government, the Strategic Reserves Agency, and other governors – there will be no shortage of anything, you just have to ask for it quickly – he assured.

The Minister also referred to the situation in places where aid is already reaching. – We appeal warmly to all those who, in a wonderful gesture of the heart, the great solidarity of people throughout Poland in favor of those affected by the flood, I also appeal on behalf of firefighters, soldiers, policemen, all services: go with this aid to special hubs in Opole and Wrocław, and not directly to the affected towns – said Siemoniak.

He added that the most important thing is for firefighters, soldiers and police to reach the flood-affected areas to clear all the roads. – These roads are in poor condition and cannot be blocked – emphasized Siemoniak. He assured that “all the aid delivered to Opole and Wrocław will go to those in need”.

The minister pointed out that dozens of trucks are blocking roads in the Głogów district. “On the one hand, it's fantastic, because there are a lot of these cars, but on the other hand, it makes all necessary actions incredibly difficult,” he noted.

The Minister of Interior and Administration reminded that the websites of provincial offices contain all information about the hubs to which aid can be delivered. – The warehouses operate around the clock and this aid is then immediately delivered to those in need, but with our own resources, which reach the affected localities in an organized, non-conflicting manner – he said.