Atleast 7 people have been confirmed dead and hundreds evacuated as storm Boris leaves a trail of flooding and destruction in central europe. Austria, Czech Republic, Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania and parts of Germany among most affected.
The governor of Lower Austria, Johanna Mikl-Leitner, has announced the death of a firefighter who was attempting to pump out a flooded cellar. The entire province has now been declared a catastrophe zone.
Austrian Railways (OEBB) reported that all train services between Vienna and Linz have been suspended. The A1 motorway, a major route, has been flooded near St. Pölten, leading to its closure at the entrance to Vienna. Storm Boris continues to cause severe flooding across Central and Eastern Europe, with Austria, Poland, Romania, and the Czech Republic facing significant impacts.
In Austria, tens of thousands are without power, and many have been evacuated to higher ground. The region surrounding Vienna has been designated a disaster area, with leaders calling it an “unprecedented extreme situation.” In Poland, the Ministry of Defence reported that a bridge in Stronie Slaskie was destroyed by flooding. A “large wave of water” is sweeping through the town, stranding soldiers and requiring the evacuation of residents from rooftops. An Mi-17 helicopter has been deployed to assist in the rescue.
In Poland, torrential rain breached a dam, unleashing a powerful torrent that destroyed at least one house, according to the Institute of Meteorology and Water Management (IMGW). The dam’s side wall has been damaged, and water is flowing down the Biala Ladecka river toward the Nysa Klodzka catchment area. The IMGW also shared video footage of a house being swept away by the floodwaters in Lower Silesia. Residents of Stronie Slaskie are being evacuated as authorities warn of the flood’s destructive force.
Parts of Vienna’s underground network have been shut down due to rising levels of the Wienfluss river. Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer has described the situation as worsening rapidly, with the storm continuing to pose a significant threat.
In Romania, a fifth person has died as Storm Boris ravages the country, bringing the total death toll from the storm to five in that country alone. Meanwhile, Slovakia’s capital, Bratislava, has declared a state of emergency, and flood alerts are in place across southern Germany. Hungarian officials have warned that the Danube River in Budapest may rise to near-record levels, prompting a third-degree flood alert in the city.
In the Czech Republic, Prime Minister Petr Fiala and Interior Minister Vit Rakusan have urged citizens to follow evacuation orders, stressing that lives are at risk. Thousands have already been evacuated from flood-hit towns, and power outages have affected around 200,000 people. Four individuals remain missing, including three last seen in a car swept into a river and one man who was carried away by a stream.
Local authorities are grappling with the situation. In Prague, police and firefighters rescued a man who swam in the flooded Vltava River, while in North Moravia, three paddleboarders had to be removed from the swollen Odra River. Businesses and homes in northern Czech towns, such as Lipova Lazne, have been devastated by floodwaters.
Poland has also been severely affected, with Prime Minister Donald Tusk confirming the country’s first drowning victim. In the Kłodzko district near the Czech border, over 1,600 people have been evacuated. Power outages have left 17,000 residents in the area without electricity, and internet and mobile networks are down. Starlink satellite technology has been authorized for emergency communication, and a Blackhawk helicopter has been dispatched to rescue people stranded on rooftops.
Rescue efforts are ongoing across Central and Eastern Europe, with many regions bracing for more rainfall and worsening conditions. In the Czech Republic’s Silesian spa town of Jesenik, the mayor reported that only three streets remain above water, and those who ignored evacuation orders are now stranded. With helicopters unable to operate due to the weather, residents have been advised to seek higher ground within their homes as they await military assistance.
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