19.5.2010 - Country braces as flood toll in Moravia rises

By Gabriella Hold - Staff Writer

One woman has died and thousands of residents in Moravia-Silesia are without housing or power as severe flooding causes widespread havoc in the northeast region. Rescue services are on a  state of alert amid widespread flooding that is threatening numerous villages and has resulted in the evacuation of a hospital and caused 100,000 residents to be without electricity. Police said at least 672 properties were already affected by the flooding, which started May 14 when the Olše River burst its banks, while hundreds more are under threat. Other rivers that have caused flooding are the Odra, Bečva and Morava, while 10 dams in the region are also overflowing. Troubky, the village that became a symbol of the devastating floods in 1997, was flooded again late May 17. Its inhabitants were asked to evacuate. The floods have already led to the drowning of a woman at her home in Třinec May 16, while in the town of Zubří in the Vsetín region water caused one house to collapse. The severe flooding has also hit regions of Poland and Slovakia, causing Prime Minister Jan Fischer to coordinate relief efforts with those countries. Meanwhile, Defense Minister Martin Barták said May 17 that he is immediately flying to the Moravia-Silesia region to check out the situation personally. He will be accompanied by Interior Minister Martin Pecina. The governor of the region has also asked for 500 soldiers to tackle the unfolding crisis. ˙"The government has decided that 800 soldiers can possibly be sent to help if needed," Barták told journalists at a press conference May 17. "Governors and mayors can activate these soldiers by standard procedures. But it must be said rescue operations are going well."

Police have already evacuated residents in the towns of Karviná, Ostrava and Valašské Meziříčí, while a hospital in Bohumín evacuated 90 patients and sent them to safer hospitals. Residents near the Bystřička dam in Silesia were also evacuated as the dam reached full capacity. Engineers are on standby to manage a controlled overflow of the dam, which could result in the villages being flooded. A section of the D1 motorway near Ostrava was closed May 17 as police helicopters started evacuating people from outlying villages. Emergency committees are still monitoring the situation, and preparations for possible mass evacuations have been set up in the towns of Karviná, Český Těšín and Třinec. Experts are still concerned the floods will cause landslides, while strong winds could cause further destruction. But, despite the threats, some residents are resisting the evacuation measures, worried that looting will occur. The government admitted earlier this year it has already used part of the disaster relief fund to help finance this month's general elections. At least a third of the fund, which holds about 3 billion Kč, is being used. The postponement of the October election caught the government by surprise in more ways than one, and no money was allocated in the budget for a May 2010 election. "When we presented the budget, it was assumed an election would be in October 2009," said Finance Ministry spokesman Jakub Haas. "There is therefore no option but to release funds from the reserve due to the postponement of the election." The money will cover the cost of actually staging the election and will not be spent on party campaigns. This is the first time relief funds have been used to finance a general election. The forecast calls for rain to continue through May 20.
- Filip Šenk contributed to this report.

Gabriella Hold can be reached at
ghold@praguepost.com


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Flood tolls

Poland: Two people died after being washed away by floodwaters caused by torrential rain. A state of emergency was declared in the city of Kraków. About 400 people had to leave their homes south of Kraków and Katowice, and firefighters prepared to evacuate another 1,500. Rising river levels also forced the staff of the Auschwitz museum to move exhibits and documents to upper floors. The government has mobilized 8,000 troops, some equipped with amphibious vehicles and engineering equipment
Slovakia: The Bratislava, Banská Bystrica and Košice regions have suffered widespread disruption
Hungary: A hospital in Szikszo, 180 kilometers northeast of Budapest, had to move patients off the ground floor. One man died after a wall of his house collapsed onto him. More than 2,000 people have been forced from their homes in the north of the country. Officials said the situation in the northeast county of Borsod-Abauj-Zemplen was "catastrophic"
Serbia: Flash floods in the south claimed two lives