WARSAW, Poland — European Union chief Ursula von der Leyen on Thursday pledged billions of euros in help for Central European international locations that suffered monumental injury to infrastructure and housing through the large flooding that has thus far claimed 24 lives within the area.
Von der Leyen paid a fast go to to a flood-damaged space in southeastern Poland and met with heads of the governments of the affected international locations — Poland, Austria, the Czech Republic and Slovakia.
She mentioned funds might be made out there shortly for infrastructure restore from the EU’s solidarity fund, in addition to 10 billion euros ($11 billion) from what known as the cohesion fund — for probably the most pressing repairs. In a particular strategy, no co-financing might be required from these international locations for the cash to be launched.
“Right here we are saying it’s 100% European cash, no co-financing,” von der Leyen advised a information briefing. “These are extraordinary occasions, and extraordinary occasions want extraordinary measures. ”
In the meantime, an enormous flood wave threatened new areas and heavy rains additionally brought on flooding and evacuation of some 1,000 folks within the northern Italian area of Emilia-Romagna. In Central Europe, the receding waters revealed the dimensions of the destruction attributable to exceptionally heavy rains that started every week in the past.
Czech Inside Minister Vit Rakušan mentioned yet another particular person was reported killed on Thursday within the nation’s hard-hit northeast, bringing the demise toll there to 5. There have been additionally seven deaths every in Poland and Romania, and 5 in Austria — with the general demise toll now at 24.
Authorities deployed troops to assist. Within the northeastern Czech Republic, troopers joined firefighters and different emergency crews to assist with the restoration efforts. Military helicopters distributed humanitarian help whereas troopers had been constructing momentary bridges instead of people who had been swept away.
Some 400 folks remained evacuated from the houses within the regional capital of Ostrava. Within the southwest, the extent of the Luznice River reached an excessive excessive however the evacuation of 1,000 folks within the city of Veseli nad Luznici was not essential for the second, officers mentioned.
Cleanup efforts had been underway in Austria, the place flooding washed away roads and led to landslides and bridge injury. Firefighters and troopers pumped water and dirt out of homes and disposed of broken furnishings, broadcaster ORF quoted hearth division spokesperson Klaus Stebal as saying.
The governor of Decrease Austria province, Johanna Mikl-Leitner, mentioned reconstruction was anticipated to take years, in keeping with the Austria Press Company.
The Vienna public transport firm has needed to pump nearly 1 million liters (260,000 gallons) of water since final weekend. Ten cities and areas had been nonetheless inaccessible on Thursday, APA reported.
In Hungary, flood waters continued to rise as authorities closed roads and rail stations. Ferries alongside the Danube River halted. Within the capital, Budapest, water spilled over town’s decrease quays and threatened to achieve tram and metro traces. Some transport companies had been suspended.
Additional upriver, in a area referred to as the Danube Bend, houses and eating places close to the riverbanks had been inundated.
Practically 6,000 professionals, together with members of Hungary’s water authority and navy, had been mobilized, and jail inmates had been concerned in filling sandbags, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán mentioned at a information convention Thursday.
The Danube stood at over 771 centimeters (25 ft), approaching the 891-centimeter (29.2 ft) file set throughout main flooding in 2013.
In southwestern Poland, the excessive waters reached town of Wroclaw and an prolonged wave was anticipated to take many hours, even days to move, exerting strain on the embankments.
The water degree on the Oder River simply earlier than Wroclaw was 6.4 meters (21 ft), some 2 meters (6.5 ft) above alarm ranges however nonetheless decrease in comparison with the disastrous flooding in 1997.
Within the two most-affected cities, Stronie Slaskie and Ladek-Zdroj, faucet water and energy had been restored, mentioned Gen. Michal Kamieniecki, who was put accountable for the restoration operations there after an emotional attraction to Prime Minister Donald Tusk for assist the day earlier than by a younger girl recognized solely as Katarzyna.
As considerations mounted, Tusk invited von der Leyen to Wroclaw to see the state of affairs first hand. Authorities leaders from the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Austria had been additionally there.
In Italy, rivers flooded within the provinces of Ravenna, Bologna and Forlì-Cesena, as native mayors requested folks to remain on the higher flooring or depart their homes. These areas had been hit by devastating floods in 2023, when greater than 20 rivers overflowed, killing 17 folks.
Italy’s vice minister for transport and infrastructure, Galeazzo Bignami, mentioned Thursday that two folks had been reported lacking in Bagnocavallo, in Ravenna province.
At the least 800 residents in Ravenna and nearly 200 in Bologna province spent the evening in shelters, faculties and sports activities facilities. Trains had been suspended and faculties closed whereas residents had been suggested to keep away from journey.
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Related Press writers Justin Spike in Budapest, Hungary, Karel Janicek in Prague and Giada Zampano in Rome contributed to this report.
