Floods Ravage Central Europe: Poland in Crisis

Severe flooding in Central Europe, caused by a low-pressure system, has devastated Poland, Austria, the Czech Republic, and Romania. Authorities report 23 deaths, with thousands of soldiers and volunteers working to safeguard homes and businesses. The European Union highlighted this disaster as evidence of an escalating climate crisis.

Soldiers and volunteers in southwestern Poland scrambled Wednesday to lay sandbags near swollen rivers in Wroclaw, working to protect homes and businesses after days of relentless flooding across Central Europe.

Several Central European nations, including Austria, the Czech Republic, Poland, and Romania, have been devastated by severe flooding caused by a low-pressure system that began last Thursday, dumping record rainfall.

Authorities have reported 23 fatalities, with seven deaths each in Poland and Romania, five in Austria, and four in the Czech Republic.

The European Union's head office on Wednesday pointed to the floods in Central Europe and deadly wildfires in Portugal as signs of a "climate breakdown" that will persist without drastic measures.

On Wednesday, Czech authorities reported a fourth death, identifying the body of a 70-year-old woman swept away in the town of Kobyla nad Vidnavkou near Jesenik.

Improved weather brought warm and sunny conditions to the Czech Republic, Poland, and surrounding areas. Water levels have begun to recede in some locations, enabling authorities and residents to start cleaning up debris.

Meanwhile, Polish firefighters pumped water from flooded streets and basements, and about 1,000 Romanian firefighters worked to clean up severely affected regions, according to the General Inspectorate for Emergency Situations.

Despite these efforts, southwestern Poland remains at risk. Soldiers and residents in Marcinkowice near Wroclaw were fortifying the area with sandbags near a bridge over the Olawa River, which feeds into the Oder River.

Artur Piotrowski, the community leader of Olawa, described the situation as dire, noting that two villages have been inundated since Monday with residents refusing to evacuate.

Thousands of Polish soldiers are actively involved, evacuating people and animals and distributing supplies in flood-damaged areas. The army also established a field hospital in Nysa after a hospital evacuation earlier this week.

Experts remain on high alert for potential flood threats as the Oder River crests, impacting cities like Opole and Wroclaw, which faced catastrophic flooding in 1997.

(With inputs from agencies.)