Storm Boris has unleashed an unprecedented amount of rain on Central Europe in just 24 hours

The death toll in the second day of carnage caused by Storm Boris had climbed to 17 victims from Romania and Poland as of September 16, with more victims expected to emerge as the flood waters recede. The storm has triggered evacuations of thousands and led authorities to worry about the cost of repairs and business closures that will result from the disaster.

Floodwaters have ravaged large parts of the Czech Republic, Austria, Romania and Poland. The Czech police reported that one person had drowned near Bruntal, and seven others remain missing, while Austrian authorities discovered two elderly victims, aged 70 and 80, in their homes. In Romania, six people have died, and one person is still missing, according to AFP. Poland has confirmed one drowning victim, and a firefighter died during rescue efforts in Austria.

As bne IntelliNews reported, the entire region has been hit by unprecedented flooding and meteorologists warned that further inundation could be in store. In southern and south-western Poland flood waters have receded in towns inundated earlier and there is now a wait for the flood wave to pass through the big cities of Opole and Wrocław, both located on the Oder, Poland’s second biggest river.

In Poland, the government has declared a state of natural disaster in 17 districts, including the Silesian, Lower Silesian and Opole Voivodships, where Prime Minister Donald Tusk said: "I convened this session primarily to pass an order on [imposing the] natural disaster regime as soon as possible."

The order, in effect for 30 days from 16 September, applies to towns such as Bielsko-Biala, Jelenia Gora and Walbrzych. The government has set aside PLN1bn (€236mn) to assist victims to finance the affected people's immediate needs as well as to help them renovate or rebuild their houses. “It’s just the start,” Tusk declared.

As bne IntelliNews reported at the start of this year, one of the consequences of the accelerating climate change is the increase in the incidences of torrential rainfall and extreme storms. 

Tusk also said he will work with the leaders of other affected countries – Czechia, Slovakia, Austria and Romania – to ensure the EU provides financial help to fix the damage caused by the flooding. “We are going to get as much out of the EU as we can,” Tusk said. 

So far, four people have been reported dead in Poland after extreme rain first hit the south and the south-west of the country on September 12.

In Hungary, forecasts predict that the River Danube in Budapest could rise to 8.5 metres, nearing record levels. Officials across the region are issuing warnings and preparing for further flooding as rescue operations continue.

Residents in affected areas described scenes of devastation. Szymon Krzysztan, a 16-year-old from the town of Ladek Zdroj, said the floods left the area looking "unimaginable" and "like an apocalypse". Jerzy Adamczyk, 70, told Reuters, "Armageddon... It literally ripped out everything because we don't have a single bridge. In Ladek, all bridges have disappeared. We are practically cut off from the world."

The disaster has forced the evacuation of 10,500 people, with emergency services using helicopters to airlift those trapped in hard-hit areas like Lipova-lazne in the Czech Republic. In Nysa, southern Poland, the mayor called for immediate evacuations after a flood bank was damaged.

Industrial operations have been severely affected, with factories and stores halting production. In Ostrava, Czechia, the BorsodChem chemical plant and the OKK Koksovny coking plant have suspended operations, reports Reuters. Veolia Energie also shut down its Trebovice electricity and heating plant, cutting hot water and heating supplies to large parts of the city. "At the moment, the supply of heat and hot water in Ostrava is interrupted," the company said, although key infrastructure remains intact.

Poland’s hydroelectric power utility, Tauron, reported that six of its plants are out of operation. Retailer Zabka confirmed the closure of 80 outlets, mainly in the flood-stricken area of Klodzko.

Czech economist David Navratil of Ceska sporitelna predicted economic consequences, noting that "industry will receive a negative impulse of one or two percentage points, while the construction sector will receive a positive impulse... thanks to the reconstruction of damaged buildings and infrastructure," Reuters reports.

As Central Europe grapples with the aftermath of Storm Boris, authorities continue to search for missing persons and assess the full scale of the damage.

Water in the Polish town of Kłodzko is higher than during the record rainfall in 1997