Storm Boris / Anett caused massive destruction in Europe - 1 firefighter killed in Austria - fire station and hospital flooded

UPDATED SEPTEMBER 19: 

According to Reuters, the most severe floods to hit central Europe in over two decades have left a path of devastation from Romania to Poland, claiming the lives of at least 22 people. Towns have been swamped with mud and debris, bridges have been swept away, and cars submerged, leaving authorities and residents facing damage costs expected to reach billions of dollars.

In the Czech Republic, where five people have died, at least 15,000 have been evacuated. The Czech finance ministry has pledged 30 billion crowns ($1.34 billion USD) to address the flood damage through an amendment to its 2024 budget. An additional 10 billion crowns will be allocated next year, according to news agency CTK. 

Flooding has killed seven people in Romania, where water levels have receded since the weekend. In Poland, seven people have died, while Austria has reported five fatalities, of which one was a firefighter. 

Five deaths have been confirmed in the Czech Republic. 

Tens of thousands of households in both the Czech Republic and Poland remain without electricity or access to fresh water.

While water levels are now receding, the impact remains significant.

THIS IS A DEVELOPING STORY - IT HAS BEEN UPDATED SEVERAL TIMES SINCE THE FIRST POST ON SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 15 - SCROLL DOWN FOR MORE INFO

UPDATED SEPTEMBER 17

Storm Boris has essentially devastated several European cities. 16 people or more have died, and a number of cities have been evacuated. Austria lost one firefighter to the flood conditions on the weekend.

The amount  of rainfall is being described by several experts and meteorologists as record-breaking. At the weather station Serák in eastern Czech Republic, 464 millimeters of rain been recorded in recent days.

In comparison, the average annual rainfall in a fairly rainy, northern city like Stockholm,  is about 500 millimetres - in one year. 

Storm Boris now expected to move south, and election campaigns in Austria are being postponed.

At least 16 people have lost their lives, and several more are missing following the subsequent floods that have affected Central Europe in recent days. 

Fatalities have occurred in Romania, Austria, Poland, and the Czech Republic, according to BBC.

Southwestern Poland is one of the worst-affected areas. In the town of Klodzko, where over 25,000 people live, the streets are filled with debris and mud after the floodwaters broke through. Similar scenes are playing out in several Polish cities.

Poland declared a state of emergency on Monday after several cities were overwhelmed by the massive floodwaters and had to be evacuated. 

Prime Minister Donald Tusk has announced that affected people can apply for emergency aid, equivalent to about 2,500 Euros, to cope with the aftermath.

The worst seems to be over in Poland as drier weather is expected when the rain moves on to other parts of Europe.

Military aid in Austria
 

On Tuesday, the storm will move south, and heavy rainfall is expected in parts of Austria and Italy.

Austria is holding parliamentary elections in less than two weeks, but the storm is causing some campaign events to be postponed. The country's Chancellor Karl Nehammer wrote on X that the election campaign is being “paused,” and all attention must now be focused on crisis management.

He also announced that the military will be deployed to assist in the affected areas.

Some affected areas have received the equivalent of two bathtubs of rain per square meter

UPDATED SEPTEMBER 16: 

At least five have been killed in Poland during Storm Anett / Boris.  A hospital and a fire station was flooded. At least 10 people have died in total and several are missing in the subsequent floods that have affected Austria, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland, Hungary, and Romania.

The rain has been heavy for several days, as the low-pressure system is both deep and relatively stationary - resulting from being squeezed between strong and stable high-pressure systems in other parts of Europe.

In the most intensely affected areas, approximately 300 millimetres of rain have fallen From Thursday to Saturday. That is about two average size bathtubs worth of water, and the ground is not able to absorb that much water in time before flood conditions develop.   

Southwestern Poland has become one of the worst-hit areas since the rainstorm Boris moved into Central Europe.

Poland has declared a national state of emergency after severe flooding hit the southwestern parts of the country. A dam has also burst, leading to widespread evacuations, according to the Polish news site Gazeta Wyborcza.

“We will not leave anyone alone,” Prime Minister Donald Tusk wrote on X, adding that the country will seek assistance from the EU.

Poland has also agreed on a support package for the victims, valued at one billion zloty (about 234 million Euros) according to international media sources. 

Austria still on red alert

The situation in Austria remains "tense," according to the rescue services. Firefighters in Hadersdorf, northwest of the capital Vienna, are working to secure the Ottenstein reservoir, which was close to overflowing on Sunday.

Earlier on the weekend, Austria also lost a fire fighter to the storm conditions.  

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán is staying home from important EU meetings, despite Hungary currently holding the presidency of the Council of the European Union.

Dam broke in Poland

The raptured Polish dam, which couldn't withstand the pressure, is located between two reservoirs a little over half an hour west of the already flood-affected city of Nysa. According to authorities, the water threatens the city of Paczków, and parts of the community are being evacuated.

In Klodzko, just under 30 kilometers from Paczków, streets are littered with debris and mud as floodwaters have surged through alleyways.

Rescue services report that water levels in many parts of Poland have stabilized and even decreased in some areas.

By early Monday evening, the death toll in the country had risen to at least five people.

Evacuated with police helicopters - two towns could not be reached by boat

"The operations are obviously very difficult. It was a tough night for firefighters, as well as for many residents, because water was invading homes and buildings," said Karol Kierzkowski, spokesperson for the Chief Commander of the State Fire Service (PSP), on Polish TVN24.

Among the key tasks for firefighters, Kierzkowski mentioned the evacuation of the hospital in Nysa and "closely monitoring" the safety measures around the dam in Jarnołtówek.

He also spoke about the evacuation of people from two towns—Stronie Śląskie and Lądek Zdrój. 

"The evacuation is being carried out with the help of police helicopters, the military, and the Border Guard. These towns cannot be reached by car or even by boat due to the extremely high water levels. Since this morning, these operations have been using alpine techniques. We need to evacuate several hundred people," he said.

"We have reports of the situation stabilizing in several regions, but it remains very difficult and, in many places, dramatic," the spokesperson assessed.

Flooded Hospital in Nysa

The night from Sunday to Monday was challenging for residents and firefighters in Nysa, a regional fire service spokesperson told Polish TV.

Patients at the city's hospital were evacuated using barges and boats as water flooded the emergency room on the ground floor. By Monday afternoon, the city's fire station also experienced flooding.

In Wrocław, with over 600,000 inhabitants, flood warnings have been issued.

The city of Opole, with just over 100,000 residents, is also at risk of flooding. Water levels in the Oder River, which runs through the city, rose more than six meters overnight. Authorities have opened a flood reservoir designed to manage the water and protect both Opole and Wrocław.

In the afternoon, Prime Minister Donald Tusk announced that affected individuals can apply for emergency assistance starting Monday. The aid amounts to approximately  $2,400 and does not require repayment.

Storm Boris, which began on Thursday, has also impacted Austria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Romania, and Slovakia.

Storm Heading Towards Italy

According to BBC Weather, the storm is expected to ease in the hardest-hit areas of Austria, the Czech Republic, and southern Germany. However, a milder version of Boris is forecasted to move into northern Italy in the coming days.

Original post from September 15:

Storm Boris / Anett caused massive destruction in Eastern and Central Europe - 1 firefighter killed in Austria - several lives lost 

A massive rainstorm has hit multiple countries in Eastern and Central Europe. The storm is referred to as Boris, and in Germany as Anett.

The photo above is from the July 2021 flooding when almost 250 Europeans died.  

Photo Credit: Wikipedia Commons License. 

Flood damage (July 2021) at the corner of Rathausstrasse / Potthofstrasse in Hagen.

THIS IS AN EVOLVING EVENT: WE WILL UPDATE THIS POST AS WE GET MORE INFORMATION

In some areas, up to 400 millimeters of rainfall was expected over the weekend, according to Poland's Wyborcza newspaper.

On Sunday, hundreds of thousands of homes are without power, and hundreds of people have been evacuated due to the storm.

The storm is called Boris, and in Germany, Anett. It formed over the northern Mediterranean and has brought extreme rainfall.

In the Czech Republic, at least four people are missing, and in Austria, a firefighter has died in the floods, according to authorities.

On Saturday four people were found dead in the Galati region of southeastern Romania, where 5,000 homes were reportedly damaged by the rainfall.

Since Thursday, countries including Austria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, and Romania have been hit by strong winds and heavy rain.

"This is a disaster of epic proportions," said Emil Dragomir, the mayor of the village Slobozia Conachi, where 700 homes have been flooded.

Several dozen rivers in Poland have exceeded warning levels, and a dam near the village of Stronie Slaskie has burst. Several areas are being evacuated due to the flooding.

Over 250,000 households without power

In the Czech Republic, around 100,000 firefighters have been called in to assist with rescue operations, and as of Sunday, the storm has left 250,000 households without power, according to NTB, citing the Czech news agency CTK. More rain is expected through Monday.

"We are preparing for the worst-case scenarios," said Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala on Saturday.

In Austria, parts of the railway service have been suspended, and several subway lines in the capital, Vienna, are at a standstill due to the risk of flooding. In the Alps, warnings have been issued that up to 2 meters of new snow may fall as a result of the storm.

Neighboring Slovakia has declared a state of emergency in the capital, Bratislava.

"We are really in a race against the clock"

Germany, Slovakia, and Hungary also face the risk of severe flooding as the storm continues its path.

According to the German news agency DPA, water levels in the Elbe River could rise by up to four meters by the end of the week.

"We are really racing against the clock here," said Michael Klahre, spokesperson for the fire department in Dresden, during a press conference.

River in Poland rose two meters above the alert level
 

In Poland, the southern regions have been the hardest hit so far, with hundreds of residents evacuated and several weather warnings issued. In the Biała Głuchołaska River, water levels have risen to two meters above the alert level, leading to severe flooding.

Late on Saturday, the regional water management authority declared the situation critical in towns and villages in the southwest near Wroclaw.

"The residents of the lower-lying villages are being evacuated,"  the regional water authority reported, according to WP.

The Czech Republic and Austria hit by once-in-a century rain

In the Waldviertel region, about 120 kilometers northwest of Vienna, flooding is expected to reach levels normally seen only once a century.

For days, reservoirs have been drained, and barriers have been erected in at-risk areas. Residents have placed sandbags around their homes for protection. Czech media speculates that the rainstorm could cause the worst flooding in 50 years, according to Radio Prague International.

"We are preparing for the worst-case scenarios," said Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala, according to Süddeutsche Zeitung.

The storm is expected to move over the Alps and Austria. In Germany, it's believed that the worst rainfall will hit southeastern Bavaria, where it will rain until Tuesday.