Latest news Czech Republic orders further evacuations

Evacuations have been extended in Ostrava, the third-largest city in the Czech Republic, due to an acute risk of flooding. "There have obviously been dike breaches in several parts of the city," said Environment Minister Petr Hladik after a crisis meeting.

Some of the residents were brought to safety in inflatable boats. According to estimates, around 100 cubic meters of water per second are flowing through the breaches. Attempts are to be made to fill the gaps with stones.

Ostrava, with a population of around 285,000, lies at the confluence of several rivers, including the Oder and the Opava. The mining and industrial city is located almost 280 kilometers east of Prague. Rail traffic to Ostrava and onwards towards Poland was completely disrupted. A power plant had to be shut down. In nearby Bohumin, the power and mobile phone networks failed due to the flooding. The drinking water supply collapsed in many places.

Entire areas of the Czech Republic are under water after torrential rainfall. In Litovel an der Morava (Morava), around 80 percent of the city area was flooded, according to estimates by the city administration. Since the storms began at the end of last week, the heaviest rainfall has been recorded in the eastern Sudetes around the town of Jesenik, said Environment Minister Hladik. A total of up to 500 liters per square meter had fallen there since then. In Bergen in the north of the country, it had been 300 to 400 liters, in other areas of the Czech Republic up to 200 liters per square meter. That is more than in several months.

SDA