The Genoese low caused storms and downpours to pass over southwestern Poland. Floods are destroying the surrounding areas, and people are losing their lives. Kłodzko, Nysa and Jelenia Góra were flooded over the weekend. The Polish government decided to introduce a state of natural disaster in parts of the Lower Silesian, Silesian and Opole provinces. In Prudnik, a newly built stadium worth a total of PLN 29 million was flooded. There is also flooding in Austria and the Czech Republic.
The flood also had a significant impact on Maja Włoszczowska's business. She was a mountain biker who won two silver medals at the Olympic Games (Beijing 2008, Rio de Janeiro 2016) in cross-country, and was also a multiple medalist at the World and European Championships in cycling mountain, also in relay. The flood could cause Włoszczowska to lose her life's work.
Maja Włoszczowska's family drama after the flood. “Millions in losses”
Włoszczowska talked to the portal WP SportoweFaktyin which she spoke about the dramatic situation in Jelenia Góra. Due to the flood, Maja's sportswear store was closed. – We had to close the store and sewing room, because all employees are currently saving our factory. The downtime in production will be enormous, but now it is crucial to save the equipment. We produce several hundred thousand sportswear items per year. We have customers in Poland, but primarily abroad. We are starting a fight for the company to be able to function in the future – she said.
– The water in the production hall is knee-deep, and all the most important machines are there. We have 160 employees who support themselves by working in our factory. So we are fighting to save the company, but also to maintain jobs and a source of income for our employees. This will mean millions in losses. But it's not even about the losses. You can't buy such machines off the shelf, so we won't be able to start production for several months. Another thing is that at the last moment we managed to save the servers that are crucial to the company's existence – added the former cyclist.
It is not yet known whether the family business will be saved. Currently, Włoszczowska is not physically present in Jelenia Góra. – I will arrive tomorrow and I hope that I will be able to help with the cleaning up after the flood. My closest family is still there. Next year, the company is to celebrate its 20th anniversary and has never experienced such bad times. During this time, we have been a sponsor of PZKol many times, and we are currently a partner Tour de Poland. Fortunately, the latest forecasts are that the water will probably not increase any more – explains Włoszczowska.