Response to warnings falls short - Flood protection measures

EXTREME weather events — exceptional floods — have caused at least 82 deaths across Europe in recent days. Lives have been lost in Germany, France, Romania, Belgium and in the massive Black Sea catchment. Tens of thousands of homes and businesses have been damaged. More are, or were, without electricity. Others still are bracing themselves for flood waters yet to arrive.

At least 58 people died in the Black Sea area over the weekend, where thousands of Russian tourists were caught in flood waters that swept cars and tents out to sea. In the Czech Republic’s capital Prague more than 50,000 people, including visitors, were evacuated as floods threatened to swamp the city. Parts of the mediaeval area of the city were underwater as a persistent deluge forced dams on the river Vltava to open their gates. The Vltava has not been as high since 1890 and the water flow is estimated to be at 20 times the average for the time of year.

In Paris, some of the world’s great art collections had to be moved beyond the reach of the Seine which broke its banks in the worst flooding in three decades. Authorities in western Germany cancelled one of the country’s most popular open-air rock festivals over storm fears.