Evacuation too late – flood drama: Krnov fights for survival

The municipality can no longer organize assistance for citizens. We are therefore in contact with the Moravian-Silesian Higher Administrative Region.

Worse than 1997
The situation is worse than the 1997 flood disaster. The Opava and Opavice rivers meet in Krnov, which is about 240 kilometres east of Prague and has a population of almost 23,000. Helicopters were deployed to rescue people in distress from the air. The situation was also critical in many other places in the east of the country, such as the cities of Opava and Ostrava. The highest flood alert level was in effect at more than 120 water level monitoring stations across the country. More than 50 stations even reported a flood of the century.

The government in Prague is set to meet on Monday to decide on extraordinary financial aid for those affected. Czech President Petr Pavel called for donations for flood victims, noting that the worst-hit areas, such as Jesenik in the Jeseníky Mountains and Frydlant in northern Bohemia, are also among the country’s poorest regions.

250,000 households without electricity
The devastating storm left more than 250,000 households in the Czech Republic without power. This was reported by the CTK agency, citing energy suppliers. The situation was most dramatic in the eastern region of Moravia-Silesia, on the border with Poland. There alone, more than 100,000 households had to do without electricity. The marshy ground had caused countless trees to fall onto overhead power lines and high-voltage power lines.

The precipitation is forecast to continue through Monday. There were significant disruptions to rail traffic as trees fell onto the tracks and routes were flooded. About 40 railway lines had to be closed completely. At Studenka station, the important main line between Prague and Ostrava was flooded. As a result, numerous Eurocity connections to Poland and Slovakia were cancelled. Authorities urged citizens to avoid travelling by car or train if possible.

Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala called on citizens to follow the instructions of emergency services in view of flooding and water damage. Some people refused to follow evacuation orders and left their apartments or homes. “By doing so, they are not only endangering themselves, but also the people who will have to try to save them if things get dramatic,” the liberal-conservative politician said on public television CT. Anyone who thinks that preventive measures are not necessary is mistaken.

People waiting on roofs
In Opava, firefighters had to use boats to rescue those left behind in a flooded prefabricated housing estate. Elsewhere, people waited on roofs for help. At least four people have been missing since the start of the heavy storm. On Sunday evening, the mayor of Cesky Tesin ordered the evacuation of several thousand residents from the city center.

In the southwest of the Czech Republic, the Husinec Dam in the foothills of the Bohemian Forest was overflowing. Communities along the Blanice below were warned early. The situation on the Vltava and Elbe was much more relaxed than initially feared. The second alert level (“readiness”) was reached at the measuring station in Usti nad Labem (Aussig an der Elbe). At the Prague-Vyton gauge station, the Vltava level was around 2.17 meters above zero on Sunday morning.