Precautions underway

Flood waters of the Oder are approaching Germany

The Oder in Brandenburg(Bild: APA/dpa/Patrick Pleul)

While Poland is still on flood alert, the German state of Brandenburg is now also preparing for a serious situation in the coming week (see video above). Properties, streets and cellars could be flooded there from Tuesday.

Before that, the second-highest alert level is expected on Monday. In Poland, a flood alert has already been issued for regions along the Oder. On Sunday, the flood peak is expected to reach the district town of Nowa Sol around 80 kilometers east of the German border. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said that we must be well prepared.

In the German states of Brandenburg and West Pomerania, preparations are already underway for the coming week. However, nothing points to a "black scenario", Tusk reassured. He has already appointed MEP Marcin Kierwinski as special representative for the reconstruction of the flooded areas in south-eastern Poland.

Or in Brandenburg(Bild: APA/dpa/Patrick Pleul)

Floods in Esztergom, Hungary(Bild: AFP/Attila Kisbenedek)

People on the Danube in Budapest(Bild: AFP/Attila Kisbenedek)

man drowned in Budapest(Bild: AFP/Attila Kisbenedek)

Man drowned in Slovakia
In some affected countries, clean-up work is already underway after the storms. The situation eased in the Czech Republic and Slovakia, for example. After the flood level in Bratislava had receded, the body of a man was found in an oxbow lake of the Danube on Thursday. The 53-year-old resident of a settlement with houseboats had drowned.

In the Czech Republic, southern Bohemia in particular was still affected on Friday, with around 19,000 households without power. In Italian cities such as Ravenna, Forli and Castel Bolognese, there was water in the streets on Friday because rivers had burst their banks. Several hundred people were evacuated from their homes on Thursday and taken to reception centers. Two people were still missing. The Italian government has made at least 20 million euros available for the affected region of Emilia Romagna.