Swaths of Europe have been battered by deadly extreme weather, as rivers threaten to burst their banks in central Europe following torrential rainfall, and wildfires tear through Portugal.
Seven people have now died in fires in Portugal since Sunday, including three firefighters, whose vehicle burst into flames on Tuesday. At least 17 have been killed in what authorities have called the worst floods to hit central and eastern Europe in decades.
The mayor of Nysa in Poland ordered the evacuation of all 44,000 residents as water levels in the city’s river rose and threatened to send more floods through its neighborhoods.
Grzegorz Grochowski from Nysa recounted how rescuers and residents ferried sandbags down to the river embankment, working through the night into the early hours of Tuesday morning to ensure it didn’t break its banks.
“There was a human chain here, people were passing on sandbags to each other,” Grochowski told Reuters on Tuesday. “The helicopter was also carrying sand in big bags and they were dropping it to enforce the wall throughout the night until around 4 or 5 o’clock in the morning.”
Patients, including pregnant women, were evacuated from the city’s hospital after surging floodwaters forced it to shut down before all of Nysa’s residents were told to leave. Just rescuers and those trying to stem the flow from the river remain.
The rainfall is expected to calm through Tuesday, but officials have warned that water levels in rivers remain dangerously high and risk flooding low-lying urban areas.
The heaviest rains have shifted to parts of northern and eastern Italy, where an orange rainfall warning is in place Tuesday.
Along Poland’s border with the Czech Republic, emergency services have carried out several helicopter rescues in the town of Ladek Zdrój after residents became trapped in their homes.
Floodwaters there have finally begun to recede after days of downpours caused extensive damage to rural villages. In the town of Jesenik, residents more used to welcoming visitors to its famed spa resorts have instead been grappling with torrents of dirty water.
Flooding has impacted the breadth of Czech-Polish border, stretching as far down as the city of Ostrava, where thousands of residents were left without hot water on Monday. The operators of the region’s main heating plant ordered a complete shutdown.
Extreme weather continues to ravage swaths of Europe, with deadly consequences as central and eastern Europe face some of the worst floods in decades and Portugal battles raging wildfires. The toll is rising, as floods have killed at least 17 people, while Portugal mourns the loss of seven lives to fires since Sunday, including three firefighters whose vehicle tragically burst into flames.
The rainfall across central Europe, which has been torrential, has swollen rivers to dangerous levels, threatening to burst their banks. This has triggered widespread evacuations and emergency responses. Among the most affected areas is Nysa, a city in Poland, where the mayor ordered the evacuation of all 44,000 residents. The city’s river has risen dramatically, sparking fears of devastating floods sweeping through neighborhoods if the banks were breached.
Grzegorz Grochowski, a resident of Nysa, shared a gripping account of the community’s efforts to protect their homes. Rescuers and residents formed a human chain, passing sandbags to one another in a desperate attempt to reinforce the river embankment. “There was a human chain here, people were passing on sandbags to each other,” Grochowski recounted. “The helicopter was also carrying sand in big bags and they were dropping it to enforce the wall throughout the night until around 4 or 5 o’clock in the morning.”
The scene in Nysa was nothing short of dramatic, with helicopters dropping massive sandbags from above to shore up the embankments. The urgency of the situation became even more apparent when patients, including pregnant women, had to be evacuated from the city’s hospital due to the floodwaters that were threatening the facility. By the time the entire city was ordered to evacuate, only rescuers and volunteers working to stem the flow of the river remained.
Although forecasters expect the rainfall to ease by Tuesday, officials continue to warn that water levels remain dangerously high in many rivers across central Europe, posing an ongoing flood risk to low-lying urban areas. Even with a break in the rain, the consequences of the storm are far from over, as communities brace for potential further devastation from rising waters.
As the heaviest rains shift toward northern and eastern Italy, the Italian authorities have issued an orange rainfall warning for these regions. Emergency services remain on high alert, particularly in areas that have already been battered by weeks of heavy rainfall.
Along Poland’s border with the Czech Republic, emergency services are performing heroic efforts to rescue those stranded by floodwaters. In Ladek Zdrój, a town near the border, several people had to be airlifted from their homes as floodwaters rose to dangerous levels, trapping residents inside. While floodwaters in Ladek Zdrój and other parts of Poland have started to recede, the damage caused by the relentless rains has been extensive, especially in rural areas.
One particularly hard-hit area is the Czech town of Jesenik, a spa resort known for welcoming tourists to its famed mineral springs. However, in recent days, its normally tranquil streets have been inundated with torrents of dirty, rushing water. The flood has damaged homes, businesses, and local infrastructure, with locals struggling to come to terms with the devastation.
The border regions between Poland and the Czech Republic have seen some of the worst of the flooding. In Ostrava, a major city in the Czech Republic, thousands of residents found themselves without hot water on Monday after floodwaters forced the region’s main heating plant to shut down. Emergency services in both countries have been stretched thin, responding to the growing crisis with every available resource.
The sheer scale of the disaster, combined with the rapid escalation of flooding in urban and rural areas, has brought into sharp focus the vulnerability of Europe to increasingly severe weather events. The events unfolding in central Europe mirror a troubling global pattern of extreme weather, often exacerbated by climate change, pushing communities and governments to their limits.
In Portugal, the situation is no less dire, but instead of floods, the country is battling raging wildfires. Since Sunday, fires have claimed seven lives, including three firefighters who died in a tragic accident when their vehicle was overtaken by flames. The intense heat, dry conditions, and strong winds have created the perfect storm for wildfires to tear through the country’s forests and rural areas.
Portuguese authorities have described the current wave of fires as some of the worst they’ve faced in recent years. Emergency crews are working around the clock, often at great personal risk, to contain the fires. But the flames have been difficult to control, and firefighters have been overwhelmed by the sheer number of fires erupting across the country.
The situation has been made worse by a lack of resources, as Portugal’s emergency services struggle to keep up with the scale of the disaster. The fires have not only claimed lives but also destroyed homes, forests, and farmland, leaving behind a trail of devastation. Thousands of residents have been forced to flee their homes, and many are now left with nothing.
With seven lives already lost, Portugal is on high alert, fearing that more fires could break out or that current fires could spread further, fueled by unpredictable winds. The fires have consumed large swathes of land, and despite the best efforts of firefighters, there seems to be no end in sight to the destruction.
Across Europe, the unfolding weather-related disasters have underscored the urgent need for comprehensive strategies to mitigate the impacts of climate change. While extreme weather events like floods and wildfires have always been part of the natural cycle, the frequency, and intensity of such events are increasing as global temperatures rise.
Governments and environmental organizations have been vocal about the necessity of implementing stronger climate policies to curb greenhouse gas emissions and build resilience against the inevitable consequences of climate change. Yet, the events in Portugal, Poland, and the Czech Republic highlight the challenges in mobilizing resources quickly enough to protect vulnerable communities from these disasters.
In the coming days and weeks, attention will remain focused on central Europe as floodwaters continue to threaten communities and Portugal as wildfires rage. As rescue and emergency operations continue, the true scale of the disaster will only become clearer. For the families who have lost loved ones, homes, and livelihoods, the recovery process will be long and arduous.
The extreme weather across Europe is yet another reminder that while the forces of nature may be beyond human control, the consequences of climate inaction are all too clear. The international community must confront the growing reality that climate change is no longer a distant threat but an immediate crisis affecting lives and landscapes across the globe.
