Janice R. Andrews
Storm Boris’ heavy rains have caused a lot of damage and death in Central and Eastern Europe, where floods have forced thousands of people to leave their homes and destroyed a lot of property. Several countries, such as Austria, Poland, Romania, and the Czech Republic, have been hit hard. Rescue efforts are currently happening, and people are getting ready for even more damage.
Deaths and Relocations Due to Widespread Flooding
In Austria, a firefighter sadly died while helping people in Lower Austria, which has been labeled a disaster zone for the whole province around Vienna. Someone killed in Poland when floods covered whole towns and cities. This caused Prime Minister Donald Tusk to declare a state of natural disaster.
Italy has also been hit hard. Five people have been reported dead and hundreds of homes have been flooded. Four people are still missing in the Czech Republic, and people are having a hard time getting by because floods have cut off roads, rail lines, and power sources.
Unexpected rain forces people to leave their homes
In some places, it has rained more than ever before. In some parts of the Czech Republic, it has rained as much as it does in three months in just three days. Three people are missing after their car went into a flooded river in North Moravia. In South Moravia, another guy was swept away by the floods.
The mayor of the town of Jesenik in the Jeseniky mountains said the situation was very bad because the town was cut off by floods. “We are in the middle of an unprecedentedly extreme situation,” local officials said as they waited for relief and recovery efforts to begin.
Due to heavy flooding, Austria declares a disaster zone
Austria’s Lower Austria state has been labeled a disaster zone, and many people have been told to leave their homes and public transportation has been canceled. The water has covered roads and rails, and some parts of Vienna’s subway system are no longer running. On social media, Chancellor Karl Nehammer said that the storm’s effects were “very serious.” Emergency services are working around the clock to help people who are stuck.
In one sad case, a firefighter died while trying to pump water out of a flooded basement. This shows how dangerous it is for first responders to work in these kinds of situations.
Poland will be hit hard by flooding after a dam breaks.
There has also been a lot of flooding in Poland. One of the worst events happened in Stonie Slaski, where a dam broke and floods ripped through the streets, damaging homes and infrastructure. A collapsed bridge in the same area made things even worse, leaving troops and locals stuck without any way to get away by land.
Also being affected by the rains is Krakow, which is Poland’s second-largest city. People who live there have been given sandbags as the officials get ready for more rain. Over 1,600 people have been evacuated from Klodzko, which is one of the worst-hit places. Rescue teams are working hard to get to people who are still stuck in their homes. Klodzko’s mayor said that the town had “lost the battle” against the flood and that things were “critical.”
The Czech Republic and Romania Try to Keep the Floods Under Control
Local officials in Romania say that 700 homes have been flooded in the Galati region, which has been hit especially hard. The mayor of Slobozia Conachi, Emil Dragomir, called the floods a “catastrophe of epic proportions.” In the whole area, five people have been reported dead.
In the Czech Republic, too, whole towns are cut off by floods, making things very hard. Lipov is a small town in the southeast that said it was “closed from all sides” because the rivers kept rising. People are being evacuated, but rescue workers still can’t get to many places.
What caused Storm Boris to damage things
Because of a number of things, Storm Boris has been especially bad. First, cold air from the north has collided with warm, wet air from the Mediterranean and the Black Sea, causing heavy rain that lasts for a long time. Second, an area of low pressure is stuck in a blocked weather pattern, which makes the storm’s effects worse by stopping it from leaving the area.
Meteorologists say it will rain even more through the end of Monday, which makes people worry about more damage and floods.
Extreme weather events are happening more often because of climate change.
The damage Storm Boris did is a stark warning of how dangerous unusual weather is becoming across Europe. The World Weather Attribution Network has already said that climate change is making these kinds of events more likely and stronger. It rains more when the air is warmer because it holds more water, and storms get worse when the sea temperature rises.
Europe has been hit by more and more terrible floods in recent years. In 2021, flooding killed many people in Germany and Belgium. They say that people need to be stronger and better prepared to deal with these kinds of disasters, which are likely to happen more often as the Earth warms up.
The End: A Crisis in the Region
Central and Eastern Europe are still dealing with the effects of Storm Boris, and the damage to people’s lives and the economy is becoming clearer. As the floods continue to rise, communities are fighting to rebuild, and the government is asking for help from around the world. The area is still on high watch because more rain is expected in the coming days. They are ready for even more terrible harm.
