Bad weather ‘Boris’: Seven dead in Austria, Poland, Romania – Missing persons in the Czech Republic, on alert Bavaria and Saxony

“Boris” sweeps Central Europe. Seven dead from Austria, Poland, Romania. The situation in the Czech Republic is being prepared for Bavaria and Saxony. In the Balkans, five people died in Romania from the passage of the bad weather “Boris”, while from a dead man Austria and Poland have so far reported from the floods. The situation remains tense in the Czech Republic and south-east Germany, with weather services predicting a continuation of the downpour and Monday (16.09.2024). In Lower Austria a firefighter lost his life in an underground water extraction operation. The state has in the meantime been described as a disaster area. Residents of the tributary areas were invited to leave their homes and the fire department uses inflatable boats to approach as many trapped as possible. “For many residents of the region, these are the hardest times of their lives,” said Lower Austria Prime Minister Johanna Mikl-Liter. In Austria it has rained in the last four days more than it has ever rained throughout September, according to federal agency Geosphere. Serious problems in Austria In Vienna, bordering Lower Austria, electricity has been cut off in a large part of the city and the Danube and Wien River are overflowing. Cycling and outdoor dining areas located in the riverbed have flooded, while metro lines 2.3,4 and 6 have been put into limited operation. Torrential rain from Storm Boris continues to cause severe flooding across Central and Eastern Europe. Further downpours excelled in the next row of days. Klodzko County in southwest Poland. — BBC Weather (@bbcweather) With problems and delays, rail transport is carried out in a large part of the country and Austrian Railways company ÖBB recommends that its customers postpone any non-emergency journey, while traffic on the western highway has been stopped. The restoration of media operation in the capital is not expected until Wednesday (18.09.2024), the municipality announced. Many events have been cancelled, including the Vahau marathon and some football games. The Austrian government has announced that students and teachers affected by flooding in the country can be absent from their schools. Employers, at the same time, are called upon not to impose sanctions on workers who will either delay or come to work at all because of rainfall. Poland, Czech Republic, Germany: At the mercy of ‘Boris’ In Poland Prime Minister Donald Tusk appealed to citizens to take seriously the instructions of the competent agencies for evacuation of areas, speaking of a ‘dramatic situation’ in many parts of the country. The railway has discontinued the connection with the Czech Republic, and bus routes between the two countries have been cancelled. Four people are still missing in the Czech Republic and thousands of people had to move to safe places. In Germany, Bavaria and Saxony are preparing for potential problems, as the storm is moving eastward and is expected from the evening to bring even more severe rainfall to Bavaria and Saxony, where the rainstorm has begun since Sunday morning. The Elbe River has been set at the highest alert level for the risk of overflow, as its water level is rising and measures are already being taken to protect surrounding areas. RES information – photos: Reuters