Floods Central and Eastern Europe

Last month, storm Boris raged across Central and Eastern Europe. As the waters receded, the full extent and impact of the disaster became increasingly clear. The storm caused flooding in Germany, Austria, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Moldova and Italy.

Poland, Romania, Austria and the Czech Republic seem to have been the hardest hit so far, suffering severe damage to infrastructure (roads, water supply, electricity supply, etc.). Thousands of people have been evacuated, at least 23 fatalities confirmed. A state of emergency was declared in parts of Poland, Slovakia, Austria, Hungary and Romania, while Poland and the Czech Republic requested support through the European Union's Civil Protection Mechanism.

The response has since shifted from search and rescue operations, care for evacuated people and restoration of critical services and infrastructure, to surveying, clearing and repairing the damage. Thousands of homes were affected, so the need to support affected households is high. This while the impact on livelihoods and large-scale public infrastructure will be felt for a long time to come. For example, some train services between Austria, Slovakia, Poland and the Czech Republic are still suspended and some villages are still inaccessible.

Austria

The situation in the province of Lower Austria remains difficult:

• Drinking water supply is still interrupted in 37 communities.
• Some villages remain isolated from the outside world.
• 280 households are still evacuated.
• As a result of the damage, about 120 roads across the country are still closed.

The Austrian Red Cross offered medical and psychological assistance to the affected population and provided emergency shelter for 1,000 people. Together with partner NGOs, it launched a fundraising campaign to provide financial support to affected communities. In addition, the Austrian Red Cross is supporting international relief efforts in Poland, Romania and the Czech Republic, including sending a humanitarian transport team.

The Vienna Red Cross also operates a hotline for reconstruction assistance. 

Czech Republic

The floods severely affected the Moravian-Silesian region, Olomouc and Liberec.

• About 70-80% of the town of Krnov in the Moravian-Silesian region was under water, affecting about 17,000 people.
• 12,000 people have been evacuated across the country.
• In the Moravia-Silesia region alone, 99,700 people were affected. The infrastructure suffered significant damage: bridges were swept away and 19,000 households in the Moravian-Silesian and Olomouc regions are still experiencing power outages.
• Shortages of food, essential goods and services, electricity and clean water remain, despite most regions being accessible again.

The Czech Red Cross operated a central operations center at its headquarters and also had several regional operations centers. More than 400 volunteers supported the affected population immediately after the disaster. This included on-site needs assessments, as well as cleaning buildings, first aid or psychosocial support. The Czech Red Cross also managed 11 shelters for affected people who had to leave their homes. Furthermore, the Czech Red Cross provided for the distribution of more than 150 tons of relief supplies and provided Internet for the population and local authorities in 16 locations. These were often the only way to contact the outside world.
Now they focus mainly on psychosocial support for victims who often saw everything swept away by the water. They are also preparing the affected population for the upcoming winter months. In some communities, gas pipes were affected, so people have no gas supply for heating or cooking. The Czech Red Cross is providing support with generators, heating and cooking equipment. Assistance is expected to continue until at least spring 2025.

Poland 

• The Kłodzko district in the Lower Silesia region was hardest hit by the floods. Seven people died, and the head of the Defense Ministry reported that 3,200 people have been evacuated since Sept. 15.
• Hundreds of thousands of people have been directly and indirectly affected.
• The entire population of the town of Nysa (population 44,000) was asked to evacuate because a nearby dam collapsed.
• Two dams collapsed in Stronie Śląskie and Międzygórze (both in Kłodzko County), further aggravating the situation. Police and army are on the scene to support local authorities.
• Poland's prime minister on Sept. 16 declared a state of natural disaster in three voivodeships: Dolnośląskie, Opolskie and Śląskie, with possible recourse to EU assistance.
• In Jelenia Góra, parts of the downtown area were completely flooded.

On Sept. 14, the Polish Red Cross (PRC) launched the fundraising campaign #NaRatunekPowódź to raise money for essential supplies and evacuation support. The priority was food, water, hygiene kits and dehumidifiers. A few days later, a donation campaign for water, food and hygiene products began. PRC rescue teams arranged for the distribution of these goods and helped build sandbag dams. Together with the German Red Cross, a shelter was also opened in Jelenia Góra.
Now that the water has receded, the Polish Red Cross continues to be active with financial & material support e.g. for the purchase of furniture and household appliances but also for housing rehabilitation. Furthermore, they are active in psychosocial trauma centers in affected areas and assist in the coordination of stores offering free clothing, food and cleaning products. They also help the government organize camps for children so that their parents can focus on rebuilding. Finally, they conduct workshops as part of the "Be Safe" program to better prepare local people for new disasters.

Romania

The floods have caused extensive damage especially in the eastern regions. Roads and bridges have been destroyed, making some areas inaccessible.

• The districts of Galați, Vaslui and Iași were hardest hit.
• In Galați province, nearly 7,000 households have been severely affected: for example, 700 houses in the village of Slobozia Conachi have been reported as flooded.
• The situation began to stabilize from Sunday, September 15, 2024, thanks to the emergency services, including helicopters, which helped with evacuations and repairs. Authorities, under the coordination of the Interior Ministry, organized rescue missions and set up camps for displaced residents.

Meanwhile, the Romanian Red Cross departments in Galați and Vaslui already distributed more than 48 tons of food and 17,000 liters of potable water to 6,000 victims their region. The departments could count on nearly 200 volunteers and more than 20 staff members for this purpose.

Response from Belgian Red Cross-Flanders

Belgian Red Cross-Flanders is in solidarity with the victims and the badly affected national associations. We therefore released 200,000 euros from our emergency fund on September 17 to support Poland, Romania, Austria and the Czech Republic. Each national association received 50,000 euros.
We are closely monitoring the situation and reviewing any additional requests for support from the affected associations.

Financial support will be divided equally between Romania, Austria, Poland and the Czech Republic, with each country receiving 50,000 euros. Red Cross Societies in these countries already launched an appeal for support. The funds will be used for the reception and psychosocial support of victims, the distribution of relief goods, such as food, blankets, beds and hygienic materials and cash support to affected families to get through this period.

Red Cross assistance in affected areas

Intensive assistance is already being provided by local Red Cross branches in the hard-hit countries. The Austrian Red Cross is actively engaged in evacuations and medical assistance to victims. Emergency shelter facilities have already been set up in Lower Austria (Langenlois) and the "Team Austria" network of 110,000 volunteers is ready to be deployed. Romanian Red Cross volunteers already distributed 20 tons of drinking water, food and fruit in the Galati region, with further distribution depending on access. The Polish Red Cross is supporting evacuations, organizing shelters and distributing relief supplies.

In the Czech Republic, the local Red Cross assists with evacuations, distribution of relief supplies and building protection from the water. In other affected countries, such as Hungary, Slovakia and Germany, emergency response teams are on standby and assist in preventive actions. All national departments involved work closely with the national, regional and local authorities to coordinate and streamline relief efforts as much as possible.