Central Europe: Storm Boris Causes 18 Deaths

The death toll from the hurricane that hit Central Europe has risen to 18.

This is the most widespread weather anomaly in the last 30 years in this part of Europe. It caused rivers to overflow their banks, dams to collapse, and power to go out.

Austria, Czechia, Hungary, Romania, and Slovakia have been hit by Storm Boris, which began on Friday, September 13 and is not yet over. There have been calls to declare a state of disaster. Hundreds of thousands of homes have been left without electricity and water, and travel in many areas is difficult due to blocked roads. There were 7 drownings in Romania, 5 in Poland, 4 in Czechia, and two victims, including a firefighter, in Austria. However, in 2002, flooding in the same areas killed 200 people. “We seem to have learned the lessons of the past,” commented Czech President Petr Pavel.

In Central Europe, the level of alert due to bad weather remains high. The damage calculation has begun. In Austria, 12 dams have been severely damaged, 13 municipalities are still isolated, with a second wave of bad weather expected and Vienna’s subway only partially running. In Poland, Prime Minister Donald Tusk announced immediate aid of one billion zlotys (about 235 million euros) for the victims. In Romania, the most affected area is the Galati city area. Meanwhile, in Hungary, the Danube is expected to overflow, which the Water Authority estimates should come at the end of the week. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has canceled all scheduled international events.