VIENNA, Austria: Storm Boris has caused widespread destruction across Central and Eastern Europe, leading to multiple deaths, severe flooding, and significant infrastructure damage. A firefighter in Austria died during a rescue operation, and a person drowned in Poland. Romania reported five deaths, and several people remain missing in the Czech Republic.
Austria’s Lower Austria province, surrounding Vienna, has been declared a disaster zone. Torrential rain has disrupted transport, flooded motorways, and forced the closure of parts of the Vienna underground. Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer called the situation “very serious.”
In Poland, Prime Minister Donald Tusk declared a state of natural disaster. The town of Klodzko has been one of the hardest hit, with 1,600 people evacuated and 17,000 left without power. Soldiers aiding in rescue efforts have been cut off by flooded roads. In the town of Stonie Slaski, a dam breach and bridge collapse have worsened the devastation. Many residents are being evacuated from rooftops as floodwaters rise.
The Czech Republic has also experienced severe flooding, with three months’ worth of rain falling in just three days in some areas. Several people remain missing, including three individuals whose car disappeared into a river. The town of Lipov is bracing for another wave of flooding, while the town of Jesenik is completely cut off by floodwaters.
Romania has also been hit hard, with 700 homes flooded in the village of Slobozia Conachi and five people confirmed dead. Mayor Emil Dragomir described the situation as a “catastrophe of epic proportions.”
Storm Boris’s intensity is linked to a combination of cold air from the north and warm moisture from the Mediterranean and Black Seas, along with a blocked weather pattern trapping low pressure over the region. With more rain forecasted, the devastation caused by Storm Boris is far from over.
