Floods in Romania kill at least four people as rain batters central Europe

By Luiza Ilie and Jason Hovet

BUCHAREST/PRAGUE (Reuters) - At least four people died and thousands of homes were damaged by flooding in eastern Romania on Saturday, officials said, as surging river levels put authorities on alert in much of central and eastern Europe following days of torrential rain.

More rainfall is forecast in the coming days in the Czech Republic, Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, southern Germany and parts of Austria.

Residents of some towns along the Czech-Polish border were evacuated as rivers rose passed alert levels while the Czech capital, Prague, which suffered catastrophic floods in 2002, put preventative anti-flood measures in place.

In Romania, flooding affected eight counties, the country's emergency response unit said, and Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu was due to visit hard-hit Galati county, where the four people were found dead and about 5,000 homes were damaged.

A firefighter evacuates a woman, after heavy rain triggered flooding in Pechea, Galati county, Romania September 14, 2024. Galati Inspectorate for Emergency Situations/Handout via REUTERS

Television images from the area showed streets flooded with muddy water, silt and debris as rescuers led residents to safety. Authorities deployed a Black Hawk helicopter to aid the search and rescue operation.

Evacuations, rail disruption

In the Czech Republic, northern and northeastern areas bore the brunt of the deluge, with some places recording up to 25 cm (10 inches) of rain since Thursday, the weather institute said.

Forecasters warned that some areas could see more than a third of average annual rainfall by Sunday, with strong winds adding to the threat.

Environment Minister Petr Hladik said on Saturday people in the worst-hit areas should prepare to leave their homes.

In Prague, a city of more than 1.3 million people that sits on the banks of the Vltava river spanned by the picturesque 14th century Charles Bridge, flood barriers were put in place.

Firefighters operate in an area, after heavy rain triggered flooding in Pechea, Galati country, Romania September 14, 2024. Galati Inspectorate for Emergency Situations/Handout via REUTERS

The city heavily invested into preventive measures after the 2002 floods, which swept into the subway system and forced tens of thousands of people from their homes.

Prague Zoo, which is located along the Vltava, was closed to visitors and Czech Railways said services on dozens of routes were disrupted. In the country's second-biggest city, Brno, a hospital evacuated patients as a precaution.

In Glucholazy, a historic town in southwestern Poland near the Czech border, firefighters piled hundreds of sandbags alongside a swollen river and some residents were evacuated.

Polish Interior Minister Tomasz Siemoniak said weather forecasts looked unfavourable, with very heavy rainfall to fall around the Czech border area over the next 24 hours, feeding rivers into Poland.

Officials in neighbouring Slovakia warned of the threat of flooding in the capital, Bratislava, from the swollen Danube river.

A view shows a flooded area following heavy rainfalls in Mikulovice, Czech Republic, September 14, 2024. REUTERS/David W Cerny

Hungary expects the Danube to near record-high levels in the coming days, and officials will close lower-lying quays in the capital, Budapest, on Monday.

"The wave of flooding is expected to peak at around 8 metres (26 feet) in the second half of next week," the city's mayor said on Friday.

In Austria, emergency services were working with district governors and municipalities to prepare for evacuations.

Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer said all federal states were affected and the situation was deteriorating particularly in the northeastern state of Lower Austria.

"The coming days will still be extremely difficult and challenging for the affected population and the emergency services," Nehammer said on X.

(Reporting by Luiza Ilie in Bucharest, Jason Hovet in Prague, Marek Strzelecki in Warsaw, Krisztina Than in Budapest and Maria Martinez in Berlin; Editing by Helen Popper and Ros Russell)

WATCH: Strange pattern hammers Europe with intense snow, flooding rain

Thumbnail courtesy of Galati Inspectorate for Emergency Situations/Handout via REUTERS.