The flood situation in the Czech Republic is slowly calming down, and there is no longer an extreme threat anywhere.
The worst situation is in southern Bohemia, where the Rozmberk pond has started to overflow. The water from this large pond is still flowing freely into the countryside. The town of Veseli nad Luznici, which is threatened by this water, will decide whether to evacuate today.
Elsewhere, municipalities are starting to assess the damage. According to Moravia-Silesia Governor Josef Belica (ANO), the damage could run into tens of billions of crowns. Tomas Navratil (ANO), the mayor of Opava, is also talking about billions of crowns in damages. There are still tens of thousands of households without power, transport problems persist, and dozens of schools remain closed.
Yesterday afternoon, water was expected to start flowing over the gates of the Brno dam. However, power engineers eventually resolved a technical fault at the hydroelectric power station in the dam. The water is unlikely to get through the sluice gates.
The situation in Ostrava is also calming down, and work is beginning to address the consequences of the flooding. The city is deploying bulk containers; collection yards will increase their capacity and extend their opening hours. However, Ostrava is still without heat and hot water, and it is not yet possible to say when supply from the flooded Trebovice power plant will be restored.
In Opava, which was badly affected by the high water, an important bridge on Ratiborska street faces demolition as it was so damaged by the high water.
In the Moravia-Silesia and Olomouc regions, five sections of first-class roads and the motorway leading through Ostrava to the border with Poland remain impassable. In the Zlin Region, all roads are passable again after the floods.
There were 56,000 households without electricity in the country after noon yesterday. Most of Bohumin in the Karvina district is among them, due to a flooded power substation in the town of Pudlov, which has no flood protection. The city has set up several centres where residents can recharge phones or power banks.
In Jihlava, the town hall said that the backbone internet line to the district has snapped, probably due to a landslide of waterlogged soil. Internet problems were also addressed this morning by the regional office. In Kromeriz, two elementary schools will remain closed on Wednesday, while others will open. In Jesenice, where school buildings were flooded, schoolchildren will not return to their desks immediately. Mayors in affected areas said there would be problems with the location of polling stations.
Hepatitis A vaccination is also being prepared in the flooded areas, and will be free and voluntary. Work is underway to guarantee the supply of medicines, and regional health stations are preparing to test wells. The State Material Reserves Administration activated the KRIZKOM crisis information system yesterday morning, through which flood-hit municipalities and regions can now request equipment from the state reserves.
The Czech Association of Insurance Companies said today that insured damage after the floods will reach CZK 17 billion, according to first estimates. About half of this damage is to households and the other half to businesses. For insurance companies, the August 2002 floods were the biggest catastrophe in the history of the Czech Republic, following which they paid out CZK 36.7 billion.
According to the first estimates, the floods have caused more than CZK 200 million worth of property damage to the state forest management company Lesy CR. The Czech Confederation of Industry and Transport wants to negotiate support from the government for the damaged companies. It is proposing interest-free loans, tax deferrals, or a programme to help with costs not covered by insurance.
So far, at least CZK 95 million has been donated to collections organised by NGOs to help people affected by the floods. More than half of this amount has been raised by People in Need, and almost CZK 20 million by Caritas.
The weather forecast for the next few days is positive across the country, with only exceptional rain expected. Flood conditions in the Czech Republic decreased yesterday; by 4pm there were flood stages in place at 137 places, about 23 fewer than in the morning, and by 9pm at 130 places, according to the Czech Hydrometeorological Institute.
The threat remains on the Dyje (Thaya) River, at the Morava River from Olomouc and on the lower Elbe, the Institute said.
The Elbe is expected to peak in Usti nad Labem this afternoon. “We expect peaks and more significant drops on the Luznice and Nezarka rivers during the night and on Wednesday,” the meteorologists said, adding that the drops in levels will be gradual.
Extensive flooding has plagued the Czech Republic since Saturday, with heavy rains hitting Moravia and Silesia in particular, as well as the north-east and south of Bohemia. In dozens of places, the water has risen to a level described by meteorologists as extreme flooding, spilling over into larger towns. The floods have so far claimed three lives, with more people missing.
