Storm Boris has caused devastating flooding in Central Europe, resulting in the deaths of 15 people and creating the worst flooding in two decades. The storm has led to dam breaches and widespread destruction across several countries.
The storm hit Austria, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Romania, and Hungary, forcing the evacuation of hundreds and isolating entire villages. Romania has reported at least 7 fatalities, Poland 4, Austria 2, and the Czech Republic 1, with authorities in the Czech Republic also reporting 7 people missing.
So far, the flooding has led to the collapse of 12 dams. Several areas, particularly in Lower Austria, are facing power and water outages.
In response, affected countries have closed schools in the disaster zones and mobilized resources to provide aid. In the Czech Republic, authorities evacuated approximately 12,000 people from impacted areas, especially after power outages affected a quarter of a million homes over the weekend.
Train services between the Czech Republic and Poland have temporarily halted, according to Polish news agencies.
Poland has shut down 420 schools across four flood-affected regions and is bracing for a second wave of heavy flooding. Austria is also preparing for this potential new wave.
Hungary has announced that up to 120,000 soldiers are on standby to assist if necessary.
