'We Are Drowning,' Mayor Says as Floods Swamp Central Europe

The death toll was rising Sunday in Central European countries after days of heavy rains caused widespread flooding and forced mass evacuations. Several Central European nations have already been hit by severe flooding, including Austria, the Czech Republic, Poland and Romania, while Slovakia and Hungary might come next, as a result of a low pressure system from northern Italy dumping record rainfall in the region since Thursday. The floods have claimed six lives in Romania, one each in Austria and Poland, the AP reports. In the Czech Republic, four people who were swept away by waters were missing, police said. "We are drowning," a mayor in Poland said. The flooding affected:

• Czech Republic: Authorities declared the highest flood warnings at around 100 places across the country. The situation was worst in two northeastern regions that recorded the biggest rainfall in recent days, including the Jeseniky mountains near the Polish border. In the city of Opava, up to 10,000 people out of a population of around 56,000 have been asked to leave their homes for higher ground. Rescuers used boats to take people to safety in a neighborhood flooded by the raging Opava River. Mayor Tomáš Navrátil told Czech public radio the situation is worse than during the devastating floods in 1997. "We have to focus on saving lives," Prime Minister Petr Fiala said.
• Austria: Authorities declared the entire state of Lower Austria in the northeastern part of the country a disaster zone. So far, 10,000 relief forces have evacuated 1,100 houses. "We are experiencing difficult and dramatic hours in Lower Austria. For many people in Lower Austria these will probably be the most difficult hours of their lives," said the governor.
• Poland: Prime Minister Donald Tusk said the situation is "dramatic" around Klodzko, a town of 25,000 where helicopters have plucked people off roofs. In Glucholazy, per the AP, rising waters overflowed a river embankment and flooded streets and houses. Mayor Pawel Szymkowicz, saying, "We are drowning," urged residents to evacuate to high ground. In Stronie Slaskie, floodwaters burst through a dam; a bridge in town collapsed under the pressure, and a police station was knocked down.

(More Central Europe stories.)