Poland Declares State of Emergency Due to Floods, Another Dam Bursts in the Country

On Monday, the Polish government declared a state of natural disaster due to widespread flooding in the country.

The decision was announced by Prime Minister Donald Tusk, Polsat News reports.

After the relevant government meeting, Tusk announced the allocation of one billion zlotys from the reserve for the needs of places and people affected by the flood.

‘I have called this meeting in order to adopt a decree on the introduction of a state of natural disaster as soon as possible,’ Donald Tusk said.

The Prime Minister noted that a detailed list of counties and municipalities covered by this state of emergency would be provided in Wroclaw, where a meeting of the crisis headquarters is due to begin shortly. It will also explain what the state of emergency entails and its consequences.

‘We have a tool at our disposal in the state of natural disaster regulation, such as an evacuation order, but as I mentioned yesterday, we will (use it - Ed.) only in a situation where people's lives are directly threatened,’ Donald Tusk said.

According to the draft decree of the Council of Ministers, a state of natural disaster will be introduced in the flooded areas for up to 30 days. It envisages ‘only necessary’ restrictions on rights and freedoms, including an evacuation order and a ban on staying in certain places.

In Lower Silesia, a dam breach between the Topolya and Kozelno reservoirs resulted in the immediate evacuation of a part of the town of Pachków in the south-west of the country.  

This is the second dam breach caused by floods in Poland. In Strona Śląska, a dam on the Morawka River was damaged by floods, leaving the town virtually underwater and cut off from the world. 

As The Gaze previously reported, a deadly flood has inundated Central and Eastern Europe, with thousands of homes underwater, rail services halted, and human casualties reported.