A flood wave on the Odra is passing through Wrocław and Brzeg Dolny (Lower Silesia) on Friday. Lubuskie and Zachodniopomorskie are already preparing for the arrival of the great flood. Poland has been fighting floods for almost a week – after heavy rains caused by the Boris low.
– My quick tour of the Lubuskie and Zachodniopomorskie provinces shows that they are well prepared. – said the Prime Minister Donald Tusk during Friday's crisis headquarters in Wrocław, where the peak wave on the Odra has been flowing since Thursday.
– West Pomerania still has time for a possible high wave. The situation is worse in the Lubuskie province – the prime minister emphasized. – There are some places there that are definitely more exposed to high water. In Nowa Sól, as we once saw, the huge involvement of the population. It seems that with this involvement, they have a real chance to avoid any dramatic events.
It's another day of fighting floods in southwestern Poland. According to data presented by IMGW and Wody Polskie on Friday, the flood situation is stabilizing: in Wrocław, the water is slowly starting to subside. Small increases are observed below on the Oder, on the border of the Lower Silesian and Lubuskie provinces.
Throughout Poland on Friday afternoon, the water level on the Odra River exceeded the alarm level at almost 40 stations.
Where is the wave now?
On Friday going down Oder the peak wave passes through towns located below Wrocław, as Lower Bank in the voivodeship Lower Silesian and the cities on the Oder in the voivodeship lubuskie. In Brzeg Dolny, an action is underway to prevent possible flooding of the city. – The water has stabilized and remains at a level of about 950 cm. – said the director of IMGW, prof. dr hab. Robert Czerniawski.
Below, in Rightists, 20-30 cm were missing to overflow (the water – ed.) over the embankments. In Injury the situation is a little better, but the residents are also fighting there – said the director of IMGW. – All these villages between Wrocław and Nowa Sól are in a state of relative danger, especially where the embankments are lower – he added.
Prof. dr hab. Robert Czerniawski also reported that the Odra wave will miss the waves of the Bóbr and Nysa. – But the threat situation in these locations is not small at all. From Głogów downwards, we have to reckon with a situation of greater or lesser threat – he added.
The situation is serious at the moment Glogau (Lower Silesian Voivodeship) – there is a risk of water overflowing the embankment, lower down to the north in Nowa Sól (Lubuskie Voivodeship) the situation is worrying.
IN Kostrzyn nad Odrą (Lubuskie Province) a flood wave is expected in a few days. – All services involved are preparing. Soldiers and firefighters are raising the embankments so that at the peak the water does not spill out of the riverbed – informed Commissioner Grzegorz Jaroszewicz from the Municipal Police Headquarters in Gorzów Wielkopolski. Before 3 p.m. on Friday, the water level was 330 cm. The warning level in that place is 420 cm, and the alarm level – 470 cm.
The coming wave is also being prepared West Pomeranian Voivodeshipwhere it is expected September 24or on Tuesday. The governor ordered an inventory of the embankments. In Piasek (Gryfino district), the assembly of flood barriers has begun, and preparations have also been made for the assembly of barriers in Chlewice (Myślibórz district).
The head of Polish Waters, Joanna Kopczyńska, informed about possible flooding of individual buildings in the West Pomeranian Voivodeship.
Losses are being counted
After the great flood in Poland Losses are being counted.
Head of the Ministry of Infrastructure Darius Klimczak announced on Friday that the losses related to roads are estimated at over PLN 125 million, and those related to railways at over PLN 150 million. Initial estimates of the losses of Wody Polskie are around PLN 1 billion. The minister noted, however, that estimates regarding the funds needed for reconstruction are still being made.
Referring to the destruction caused by the flood, the minister stated that the greatest losses were suffered by infrastructure managed by municipal, district and provincial governments.
Minister of Finance Andrzej Domanski announced on Friday that PLN 2 billion has been secured to help flood victims – applications have already been submitted.
The Minister of Finance also stressed that “a huge injection of cash will be sent to Poland”. – We are talking about an amount here 5 billion eurosi.e. at the current exchange rate PLN 21 billion, which will be transferred in a very flexible way, very easy to spend – he said.
State of natural disaster
During the meeting of the crisis team on Friday at noon in Nowa Sól, the Prime Minister announced that appointed MEP Marcin Kierwiński as the government's plenipotentiary for post-flood reconstruction. He added that Kierwiński agreed to resign from his MEP mandate and join the government. The government also extended the area covered by the state of natural disaster to include additional counties of the Lower Silesian Voivodeship: Bolesławiec, Jawor, Legnica and Złotoryja. The regulation on this matter was published on Friday in the Journal of Laws.
The regulation is another amendment Regulations of the Council of Ministers of 16 September.
Initially, the following counties were covered by the natural disaster status:
in the Lower Silesian Voivodeship: the Dzierżoniów, Kamienna Góra, Karkonosze, Kłodzko, Lubań, Lwówek, Świdnik, Wałbrzych and Ząbkowice voivodeships as well as the cities with county rights of Wałbrzych and Jelenia Góra;
in the Opole Voivodeship: Brzesko, Głubczyce, Kędzierzyn-Koźle, Krapkowice, Nysa, Opole and Prudnik;
in the Silesian Voivodeship: the counties of Bielsk, Cieszyn, Pszczyna and Racibórz and the city with county rights of Bielsko-Biała.
On Tuesday, the territory covered by the state of natural disaster was expanded to include the following counties:
in the Lower Silesian Voivodeship: Dzierżoniów, Lubań and Świdnica;
in the Opole Voivodeship: Brzesko, Kędzierzyn-Koźle, Opole and Krapkowice.
In these areas, during the state of natural disaster, restrictions on freedom and human rights and citizens: the obligation to empty or secure residential premises or other rooms; an order to evacuate from specific places, areas and facilities at a specified time; an order or prohibition to stay in specific places and facilities and in specific areas; as well as an order or prohibition of a specific method of movement.
Main image source: PAP/Lech Muszynski