A slow-moving depression known as Storm Boris dumped a month's worth of rain on several historic European capitals, including Vienna, Bratislava and Prague, CNN reported.
In Poland on September 15, a person drowned in Klodzko county and authorities advised residents of Moszczanka and Laka Prudnicka to evacuate due to the risk of a dam burst. On the same day in Austria, a firefighter died while on duty.
In Romania, two more people were confirmed dead from the floods on September 15, after four were confirmed dead on September 14. “The most serious impacts were in seven localities,” Romanian Interior Minister Catalin Predoiu told Antena 3. Teams rescued 95 people trapped in their homes. About 5,400 homes were damaged in the southeastern Galati region, which was hardest hit by the floods.
Residents of Pechea, one of the villages in the area, described their shock at the devastation. "I have nothing left," Sofia Basalic told AFP, describing how floodwaters "entered my house" and "broke down the walls", destroying kitchen appliances and killing livestock on her farm.
Factory worker Gica Stan, whose home was completely submerged in floodwaters, said he was "without a needle left" and was relying on donated clothes.
Rescue services have been deployed in the worst-hit counties. Romanian authorities reported the heaviest rainfall in 100 years in the previous 24 hours.
Heavy rains caused several rivers to burst their banks in Poland and the Czech Republic. In southwestern Poland, 1,600 people were evacuated in Klodzko county as rivers reached record levels and burst their banks. Klodzko, a municipality of 25,000, was partially submerged on September 15.
In the Czech Republic, authorities are grappling with heavy rains across the country. President Petr Pavel has warned that the flooding is not over yet, with the country's poorest areas likely to suffer the "greatest damage" in the coming days. More than 10,500 people have been evacuated in the Czech Republic since the heavy rains began.
In the northeast, 80% of the city of Krnov is flooded. “The water is flowing through the whole of Krnov. We estimate that 70-80% of the city is under water. The water is almost up to the town hall. The square is two-thirds flooded,” said Deputy Mayor Miroslav Binar.
In Germany, southern and eastern states are preparing for flooding. Flood warnings have been issued for rivers in the state of Saxony.
In Austria, heavy rains have caused some rivers to swell and rescue services have been deployed in several parts of the country. Several cities in Lower Austria have declared a state of emergency as heavy rain continues until September 15.
A red alert - the highest warning level - has been issued for parts of Poland, Germany, the Czech Republic, Austria and Slovakia. According to Meteoalarm, the alert level refers to "severe meteorological phenomena" that "have the potential to cause significant damage".
