The case in summary: The flooding in Central Europe, caused by storm Boris, has caused enormous damage in at least six countries – Poland, Romania, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Hungary and Austria. Several hundred thousand people have been evacuated from their homes, and at least 14 people have been reported dead. Large amounts of snow have fallen in the mountains and are expected to melt in the coming days, which could worsen the flood situation. A special type of low pressure, caused by the collision between cold Arctic air and warm, moist air from the Mediterranean, has led to unusually high rainfall. Climate change contributes to an increased risk of such floods, with higher temperatures creating more evaporation and increasing rainfall. Romania’s president, Klaus Iohannis, warns that the effects of climate change are becoming increasingly noticeable on the European continent, with dramatic consequences. The summary is made by an AI service from OpenAI. The content is quality assured by news’s journalists before publication. – None of the furniture can be saved, we have to throw everything away, says Igor, standing inside his flood-ravaged apartment in the town of Glucholazy. The bodies of water have begun to recede from Glucholazy, but the devastation is still visible. Now is the time for the people of the city to find out what they have managed to salvage. – I have never experienced anything like this. It’s hard, I’ve lived here since I was a child, says Igor to news. A drone image from Sunday shows that large parts of Glucholazy were under water. Photo: Reuters Lack of water and electricity The town, but its barely 15,000 inhabitants, is located in south-west Poland. It is one of the areas that was hardest hit by the enormous amounts of rain that have fallen since Wednesday evening. Large parts of Glucholazy are covered in mud. The town is without electricity and water. Parts of the city are still isolated from the outside world by the bodies of water. The relief crews distribute water and food to people. – I ask the residents to be patient, we cannot reach everyone at once. Much is beyond our control, says Mayor Paweł Szymkiewicz. The bodies of water have begun to recede from Glucholazy, but the devastation is still visible. Hundreds of thousands evacuated The scenes from Glucholazy repeat themselves over large parts of Europe. The flooding caused by Storm Boris has caused massive damage in at least six countries. Dams have given way to the water. Power is out in large areas. Streets are flooded and people are not coming forward. In some places, entire districts are under water. Several hundred thousand people have been evacuated from their homes in Poland, Romania, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Hungary and Austria. So far, at least 14 deaths have been reported. In Hungary’s capital Budapest, sandbags have been laid out along the Danube. Photo: Reuters Fears it will get worse Although the water is returning in some places, it is expected to rise in other places. In Polish Wroclaw, the 600,000 inhabitants are preparing for the water. Mayor Jacek Sutryk tells Reuters that the flood peak is expected on Wednesday. In Slovakia’s capital Bratislava and Hungary’s capital Budapest, it is the Danube that arouses fear, 12,000 soldiers are ready to be deployed in Budapest to stop the water. Certain areas in Austria have received enormous amounts of snow in recent days, such as here in Hinterstoder. Photo: AFP Large amounts of snow In parts of Austria, much of the precipitation fell as snow. In some places, snow fell as low as 800 metres, writes DR. In many places, snow records have been set for the month of September. For example, Mariazell in Styria received snow for the first time in September. It snowed the most in Obertauern, where there was 80 centimeters of snow on Saturday. Now warm weather is on its way to the areas of Tyrol. As a result, the snow will melt and cause the flood to become even worse in many places. The Nysa Klodzka River in southwestern Poland has overflowed its banks and submerged large areas. Photo: AP Enormous amounts of water In many places in Central and Eastern Europe, solid rainfall records have been set in recent days. Reuters reports that around 500 millimeters of rain fell from Wednesday to Sunday at the village of Lipova-lazne in the eastern Czech Republic. That is half of what arrives in Oslo during a whole year. In many places around 400 millimeters of rainfall is reported. This corresponds to 40 liters of water in one square metre. Or said in another way. If you have a kitchen of 10 square metres, it’s like pouring 40 full buckets of water on the floor. In the Czech city of Ostrava, residents were evacuated in rubber boats on Monday. Photo: Reuters Special type of low pressure The heavy and prolonged rain is due to a special type of low pressure. This is a type of weather that has historically led to heavy flooding in Central Europe. – This time it was cold and dry Arctic air that strayed south to the Mediterranean where it met the warm and moist air there, says climate researcher Rasmus E. Benestad at the Meteorological Institute. He says that the Mediterranean has been unusually warm and that has meant that the air has retained more moisture than usual. When this moist air collides with colder Arctic air, it moves upward. The ascent of warm and moist air causes it to become colder and unable to retain water. The result is that much of the moisture falls out in the form of rain or snow. An unusually large amount of rainfall fell over a large area and there will be a lot of water in the rivers, says Benestad. People are evacuated in Slobozia Conachi in Romania. – This is a disaster of epic proportions, says the mayor of the city, Photo: AFP Climate change – We are once again facing the effects of climate change, which are increasingly felt on the European continent and with dramatic consequences, says Romania’s President Klaus Iohannis to AFP. Meteorologist Benestad explains how climate change leads to severe cloudbursts. He says that global warming causes higher temperatures, which creates more evaporation and allows the air to hold more moisture. – This increases the amount of precipitation. In addition, the precipitation is distributed over a smaller part of the earth’s surface with the higher temperature, so that it “clumps together more”. . It also means that the rainfall often becomes more intense and concentrated where it falls, says Benestad. Certain areas in Austria have received enormous amounts of snow in recent days, such as here in Hinterstoder. Published 16.09.2024, at 23.13 Updated 16.09.2024, at 23.15
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Authorities fear the flooding in Europe could get worse – news Urix – Foreign news and documentaries
