– Two hours ago, no one was talking about Jarnołtówek – said Minister of Internal Affairs Tomasz Siemoniak after the crisis headquarters in Nysa. Due to heavy rainfall at night, some residents were evacuated, including Głuchołazy. Now the same may await the tourist resort of Jarnołtówek, where the threat is an overflowing flood reservoir. – The worst is ahead of us – warns the minister.
It doesn't stop raining. In Nysa in the Opole region, a crisis team with the participation of Tomasz Siemoniak. After the meeting, the minister went to the journalists. He thanked the firefighters, soldiers, policemen, and local government officials for their “extremely dedicated service” so far, due to the constant rainfall.
– This night was a test, it was a test for all services. In cooperation with the mayor, we managed to carry out everything as it should. Now we are focusing on the threats that await us in the next few hours – he said.
He kept saying that “the worst is ahead of us” and that he was assuming bad scenarios.
Minister Tomasz Siemoniak on the flood situationTVN24
Bad scenarios of the crisis management team
The most at risk of flooding are the Opole and Lower Silesian Voivodeships, in particular the Nysa County and the neighbouring Kłodzko County.
One of the crisis management's bad scenarios involves evacuating Jarnołtówek. Some residents have already left their homes.
It is a tourist village in the Nysa district in the Głuchołazy commune. There is a dry flood reservoir there.
Jarnołtówek threatened with evacuationTVN24
Siemoniak said at the conference that when it comes to absorbing flood waves by such reservoirs, the situation is relatively stable, with the exception of Jarnołtówek. There, too much water reaches the reservoir. That is why the minister announced that he will go there right after the conference.
– There are buildings below the reservoir – he said, announcing a possible decision to evacuate residents. It is to be made in the next few hours.
Cooperation with the Czech Republic
The flood situation is very dynamic. As Siemoniak said, “two hours ago no one was talking about Jarnołtówek”. The residents of Głuchołazy were evacuated at night. This is the town that is affected by the second bad scenario of the crisis team – a bridge being torn off by a river carrying branches from the mountains.
The Minister emphasized that the residents of Głuchołazy were warned about the possibility of evacuation “many hours in advance”. – They were not surprised – he said. He admitted that there were people who refused to evacuate and at the same time appealed to trust the services. – We are doing this out of the deepest concern for the citizens, never rashly – he assured.
Polish services cooperate with Czech ones. – These four rivers, which are dangerous, which cause a great threat, they originate in Czech Republic. What is happening in the Czech Republic, the water levels there, is of key importance for what happens several dozen hours later on the Polish side – explained Siemoniak.
Main image source: TVN24