Flood warnings were in place at over 200 locations across the Czech Republic at 12pm today, with the highest threat level 3 designated at 44 locations on more than 30 rivers and waterways.
River levels have been rising since Friday evening and the situation is getting worse as the rain continues. In the Jeseniky, Krnov and Opava areas, the Central Flood Commission called on the governor of the Moravian-Silesian Region to declare a state of emergency. The situation is also still serious in the Jeseniky area of Olomouc and the Frydlant area of Liberec, where rivers have burst their banks, but there are problems in several other regions as well.
Infrastructure hit by disruption
Trains are not running on dozens of lines across the country since this morning due to extreme weather – some because of fallen trees, others for precautionary reasons, Czech Railways (CD) told journalists.
Railway managers are trying to get the lines back up and running as soon as possible, but heavy rain and strong winds have continued to complicate the situation since the morning.
“The extreme weather is complicating rail traffic. The railway administration is working intensively to remove obstacles, and at the moment traffic is stopped on several dozen lines. We advise passengers to postpone their weekend journey unless absolutely necessary,” CD said.
Railway firefighters intervened in 28 incidents from Friday evening until 6am this morning, mostly in the Liberec and Hradec Kralove regions, with no injuries reported. Martin Kavka, a spokesman for the Railway Administration’s firefighters, told reporters that the service was preparing for a demanding weekend.
In addition, more than 60,000 households in the Czech Republic were left without electricity this morning due to extreme rain and wind, CEZ spokeswoman Sona Holingerova and E.ON spokesman Roman Spernak told journalists.
CEZ said the most failures (more than 20,000) were in the Usti nad Labem Region, while over 13,000 were without power in the Liberec and Hradec Kralove regions. Several thousand households were also without power in the Central Bohemia and Karlovy Vary Regions. “In terms of electricity supply, it is calmer in Moravia,” Holingerova said.
Several rivers in the Moravia-Silesia Region reached extreme flood threat this afternoon, including the Opava river at Karlovice and the Cerna Opava river in Mnichov, according to data from the Czech Hydrometeorological Institute (CHMU). In both places, the situation improved and the level dropped slightly.
Brno prepares for high waters
Severely raised water levels are expected to make their way to South Moravia by tomorrow, where preparations are underway to mitigate the damage. Around 180 patients were evacuated from the Hospital of the Merciful Brothers in Brno, as water rising through the sewer system put technical facilities at risk, including the hospital’s alternative power sources.
“Even though the hospital probably won’t be flooded, water is entering the basement, technical facilities and alternative sources of electricity through the lower sewer. As a result, the hospital would not be able to function, which is why we are evacuating it to be safe,” said South Moravian Governor Jan Grolich.
The evacuation began on Friday. “First we evacuated acute patients, mainly to the Brno faculty hospitals in Bohunice and St. Anne’s. Today we are continuing mainly with follow-up care patients. We will transport them to hospitals in Blansko, Tišnov, Ivančice, Hustopeče and Boskovice,” said Pavel Piler, director of the hospital of the Merciful Brothers. Staff from the evacuated hospital will reinforce teams at these hospitals.
The river Svratka reached the third stage of flood warning at Brno-Židlochovice this afternoon, exceeding four metres with a flow rate of 140 cubic metres per second. As recently as 8 September, it was in a dry state with less than five cubic metres.
The Dyje, Svitava, and Jihlava were on the second stage. The Svitava, which flows through several Brno city districts, rose by tens of centimetres in the last 24 hours. However, water managers explained that the rises in water levels are mainly controlled, as part of the preventive draining of reservoirs.
According to assumptions, the worst of the situation should be seen on Sunday. “If heavy water and floods really come, then only with a two-day delay, and we will have time to prepare for it,” said South Moravian Governor Jan Grolich, the chair of the flood commission, on Friday.
