JESENIK: More rivers in central Europe burst their banks on Monday and the number of deaths increased from the worst flooding in at least two decades, with some authorities starting to count the costs and others preparing for waters rising further.
\nBorder areas between the Czech Republic and Poland were hit hard over the weekend as heavy rain seen since last week and surging water levels collapsed some bridges, forced evacuations and left a trail of destruction.
\nAt least 15 people have died in flooding from Austria to Romania.
\nPoland\u2019s government was due to meet on Monday to call a state of disaster.
\nMichal Piszko, mayor of the Polish town of Klodzko along the Czech border, said waters had receded there but help was needed.
\n\u201cWe need bottled water and dry provisions, because we have also set up a point for flood victims evacuated from flooded areas,\u201d he told private broadcaster RMF FM.
\n\u201cChildren will not go to school until the end of the week. At the moment, half of the city has no electricity.\u201d
\nPolish Education Minister Barbara Nowacka said that around 420 schools across four provinces had been closed. In the town of Nysa a hospital was evacuated.
\nIn the Czech town of Jesenik, across the Polish border where floods ripped through the town on Sunday, clean-up was starting after waters receded to show damaged cars and debris left on streets.
\nIn eastern Romania, where villages and towns were submerged over the weekend, Emil Dragomir, mayor of Slobozia Conachi, told television station Digi24 the flooding had devastating impact.
\n\u201cIf you were here you would cry instantly because people are desperate, their whole lives\u2019 work is gone, there were people who were left with just the clothes they had on,\u201d he said.
\nPreparation
\nWhile rivers in the Czech-Polish border area were starting to recede on Monday, flooding was widening and leaving bigger cities on alert.
\nJacek Sutryk, mayor of Poland\u2019s Wroclaw, said the city of some 600,000 was preparing water levels peaking on Wednesday.
\n\u201cThis high wave will pass through Wroclaw for several days,\u201d he said.
\nIn the Czech Republic, a rising Morava River overnight put Litovel, a city 230 km (140 miles) east of the capital Prague with a population of nearly 10,000, around 70 percent under water and shut down schools and health facilities, its mayor said in a video on Facebook.
\nFlooded parts of northeastern Czech regional capital Ostrava forced closures of a power plant supplying heat and hot water to the city as well as two chemical plants.
\nMore than 12,000 people have been evacuated in the Czech Republic. A quarter of a million Czech households had been without power over the weekend although that figure had fallen to 118,000 on Monday, CTK news agency reported.
\nIn Romania, the flooding killed six people over the weekend. An Austrian firefighter died on Sunday. In Lower Austria two men aged 70 and 80 were found drowned in their homes, a police spokesperson said on Monday.
\nState news agency PAP reported five deaths in Poland and in the Czech Republic one person died, a police official said.
\nDanube also rises
\nHungarian Interior Minister Sandor Pinter said the government in Budapest was fully prepared to act and efforts for the time being focused on keeping the Danube River and its tributaries within their banks.
\nPinter said up to 12,000 soldiers were on standby to help if needed.
\nSlovakia\u2019s capital Bratislava and Hungarian capital Budapest were both preparing as the River Danube rose.
\nIn Austria, the levels of rivers and reservoirs fell overnight as rain eased but officials said they were bracing for a second wave as heavier rain was expected in the coming hours.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
JESENIK: More rivers in central Europe burst their banks on Monday and the number of deaths increased from the worst flooding in at least two decades, with some authorities starting to count the costs and others preparing for waters rising further. Border areas between the Czech Republic and Poland were hit hard over the weekend […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":431562,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-431554","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n