Poland Flooding: Crisis Situation Worsening

  • Context: News 
  • Thread starter Thread starter Borek
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Discussion Overview

The discussion centers around the ongoing flooding crisis in southern Poland, with participants sharing updates on the situation, personal safety concerns, and the effectiveness of local levees. The scope includes personal experiences, community impacts, and general observations about the flooding conditions.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Debate/contested
  • Technical explanation
  • Meta-discussion

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants report continuous rain and flooding in southern Poland, leading to school closures and concerns about rising water levels.
  • There are discussions about the effectiveness of levees, with some participants noting that levees have been reinforced but expressing uncertainty about their reliability under extreme conditions.
  • Concerns are raised about the potential for water contamination and the need to store clean drinking water in preparation for possible flooding.
  • Participants share personal safety measures, such as moving valuables to higher locations and considering evacuation plans for vulnerable family members.
  • Some express hope that the rain will stop and that the flooding will not worsen, while others remain cautious about the situation's unpredictability.
  • There are mentions of "flood tourism," where people take pictures of the flooding, which some participants find concerning.
  • One participant highlights the emotional toll of the situation, expressing worry for family members in high-risk areas.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants generally agree on the severity of the flooding situation and the need for precautions, but there are varying opinions on the effectiveness of levees and the best course of action for personal safety. The discussion remains unresolved regarding the overall impact and future developments of the flooding crisis.

Contextual Notes

Participants express uncertainty about the reliability of forecasts and the potential for levee failures. There is also a lack of consensus on the best strategies for ensuring safety and mitigating risks associated with the flooding.

Who May Find This Useful

Individuals interested in disaster preparedness, community safety measures during flooding, and those following the situation in Poland may find this discussion relevant.

Borek
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It doesn't look good.

http://wiadomosci.onet.pl/cynk/984,1,1,zdjecie.html

It is raining all the time, southern Poland is flooded in many places, schools are getting closed - and it is going to rain in the next days as well. Where I live it is safe now, but in a few days the wave will come to Warsaw and even if we are about 8 km from the Wisła river we are living on the flat area, which is not elevated. Levee on our bank was enforced two years ago, that's a plus.

Edit: yellow is a high water, orange - above warning level, red - above alarm level.

http://www.pogodynka.pl/hydro.php
 
Last edited by a moderator:
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That does look bad. I hope the rain stops and the levees hold for you.
It could be me, but the second link isn't working.
 
Checked it again and it works here, could be the server is swamped. I can post just the screen shot, but the report is generated several times a day, so it will soon became outdated.
 
It is not raining here at the moment (even sidewalks are dry), but my internet became so erratic it takes several minutes to refresh PF pages. I wonder if it doesn't mean wet cables somewhere (cables? in 21st century? what am I talking about?).

And I wonder if I will be able to post...
 
Borek said:
It doesn't look good.

http://wiadomosci.onet.pl/cynk/984,1,1,zdjecie.html

It is raining all the time, southern Poland is flooded in many places, schools are getting closed - and it is going to rain in the next days as well. Where I live it is safe now, but in a few days the wave will come to Warsaw and even if we are about 8 km from the Wisła river we are living on the flat area, which is not elevated. Levee on our bank was enforced two years ago, that's a plus.

Edit: yellow is a high water, orange - above warning level, red - above alarm level.

http://www.pogodynka.pl/hydro.php
:frown: I hope you remain dry/unflooded there. Perhaps one can move valuables and irreplaceable items to the attic or someplace high - just in case.

Such flooding seems to be all too common these days.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Oh no, that's terrible...can you move valuables up to your second floor, just in case?
 
Good luck, Borek.

It seems counter-intuitive, but if you haven't already done so, fill every available container with clean drinking water. Floods not only can take out power to water plants, but can overrun them so that water has to be boiled to make it safe for drinking. For those with electric stoves, that's a double-whammy.

PS, the links work for me, but the image server in the first link is VERY slow, so I didn't have the patience to get past 9 pix.
 
I am glad that the rain has stopped for now. Be safe Borek.
 
Wow :bugeye: Did they really changed the map as found here? Putting Poland on the wettest spot of Europe?

All the best, Borek.

And as Turbo and others noted, it could be helpful to have some first priorities secured, including a some sort of outdoors/camping gas tank with cooking possibilites
 
  • #10
Just to clarify: I am at least two-three days from the culmination wave, so there is plenty of time to prepare, and chances that we will get flooded are very tiny at the moment. So far I am more concerned with the situation in Poland in general then with my own safety. It may change, and I am far from ignoring the risk, but as of today I plan to watch TV drinking beer (or browsing PF, seems like my uplink problems were temporary).

There is really not much I can do (apart from driving my car to the parking place near Junior, he leaves much higher, and moving some of the things to the attic) and what I can I will do in 3 to 4 hours. No need to worry now, it makes you look ugly and live shorter.
 
  • #11
Good luck Borek, i hope things will get better.
 
  • #12
Glad to know you and your family are safe.
 
  • #13
turbo-1 said:
It seems counter-intuitive, but if you haven't already done so, fill every available container with clean drinking water.
Or with other potable liquids. Wait...
Borek said:
as of today I plan to watch TV drinking beer
Oh, you didn't need any advice :)
 
  • #14
EnumaElish said:
Or with other potable liquids. Wait...Oh, you didn't need any advice :)
He'll need a cooler and bags of ice to chill the beer if the flood knocks out the power. Be prepared!
 
  • #16
In some cities in southern Poland water either broke levees or flooded over (Kraków, Sandomierz, Tarnobrzeg). Thousands of people relocated, houses, bridges, roads and crops damaged, everything you can expect. Water is flowing in our direction, but it is still not high in Warsaw.
 
  • #17
Oh, that is terrible. I'm glad you're safe, but I am sorry for your countrymen who suffer.
 
  • #18
High water coming to Warsaw. It stopped to rain and latest forecasts say wave should be lower then previously expected. Judging from the maps published by Warsaw City Hall, we are well outside the zone that can be flooded, assuming forecasts are correct.

Levee on our bank was enforced in the last years, so it shouldn't breach, as it happened in other cities. As of today (our) situation looks much better than two days ago.
 
  • #19
Glad to hear that Borek. Levees are a double-edged sword. Once they are over-topped and flooding occurs, they hold the water on the flood-plain and don't let it run off to the river.
 
  • #20
Argh, I have just realized nursing home where my Mom is is in a very very bad place - close to Wisła, about 600 meters from the levee, and below Warsaw - that means lower levee than those guarding Warsaw :bugeye: I was calm up to now.
 
  • #21
Borek said:
Argh, I have just realized nursing home where my Mom is is in a very very bad place - close to Wisła, about 600 meters from the levee, and below Warsaw - that means lower levee than those guarding Warsaw :bugeye: I was calm up to now.
Hopefully, such institutions are required to have evacuation plans (fingers crossed!).
 
  • #22
Borek said:
Argh, I have just realized nursing home where my Mom is is in a very very bad place - close to Wisła, about 600 meters from the levee, and below Warsaw - that means lower levee than those guarding Warsaw :bugeye: I was calm up to now.

My prayers go out to you and she, but can you take her to a safer location? For your peace of mind if nothing else.
 
  • #23
She is lying and not able to move, so that means organizing another place in another nursing house and organizing medical transport. Doable, but not necessarily better.

So far water is high but no messages about any risks. Some other places were evacuated. Water is already very high and shouldn't be much higher. Problem is, this high water will be here for several days, unusually long. Depending on the situation we may drive close to Wisła later today to take some pictures.
 
  • #24
Water is still high, today it breached levee about 100 km from here and flooded 100 square kilometers (near Zastów Polanowski, 51°17'15.29"N 21°52'29.62"E). Level of water was already going down, but levees are wet and soft, so they can fail any time. That's the main risk for Warsaw and surrounding areas, water was not high enough to flood over and it won't get higher.

I took some pictures today, but luckily there are no places close from here where one can take really dramatic pictures, and in most places it looks like picnic - people come to take pictures, show high water to their kids and so on. I have heard someone speaking on the phone about "flood tourism".

flood1.jpg


flood2.jpg


flood3.jpg
 
  • #25
:bugeye: Have you considered to move on to aother place?
 
  • #26
drizzle said:
:bugeye: Have you considered to move on to aother place?

There is a house just down the road from us with 22 acres that is going to be put on the market. (hint) This is a high hill and will never get flooded unless the Kennebec River manages to go 300 ft over flood stage. ;-)
 
  • #27
Great pictures, but a bad situation.
 
  • #28
I heard on the news that 9 people died because of the floods.
 
  • #29
turbo-1 said:
There is a house ;-)

Do you need the Polish speech therapist in Maine?
 
  • #30
what said:
I heard on the news that 9 people died because of the floods.

From what I understand that's count of the bodies found. As large areas are still under water, including hundreds of houses, this number can change.
 

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