Large flood preparations in the Czech Republic

The same genoa low that brought heavy rains to southern Poland is also plaguing our neighbors since Thursday. A flood in the Czech Republic seems inevitable, so local governments and the federal administration are preparing for the worst. In Moravia, 60 mm of rain per square meter fell in just one day. Since Friday, emergency services and volunteers have been mobilized, and various facilities and institutions are reducing their activities for the weekend.

Government warns of rain and storms

Rain started in the Czech Republic on Thursday and has not stopped since. According to forecasts from the Czech Hydrometeorological Institute (CHMI), more than 300 mm of rain per square meter may fall over 4 days. Warnings have been issued for almost the entire country, except for two regions—the Karlovy Vary and Ústí nad Labem regions. The heaviest rainfall is expected in the belt from the Novohrad Mountains to the Jeseníky Mountains.

During a press conference on Thursday, Environment Minister Petr Hladík, who also serves as the chairman of the Central Flood Commission, appealed for the cancellation of all public events over the weekend and urged people to avoid parks and forests due to the risk of accidents. Increasing wind gusts, expected since last night, may reach speeds of 55-90 km/h, and up to 110 km/h in the mountains.

In preparation for the anticipated flood, major retention reservoirs were emptied in the middle of the week, as announced by Agriculture Minister Marek Výborný on Thursday, freeing up 751 million cubic meters of capacity to retain as much floodwater as possible. The flood gates on Prague’s Čertovka canal have also been closed. A tough duty awaits 100,000 Czech firefighters.

Anticipated flood mobilizes Czech cities

The news portal idnes.cz is continuously updating on river overflow preparations. In České Budějovice, in the south of the country, firefighters began constructing flood barriers just after midnight on Friday.

In Brno, all cemeteries were preemptively closed on Friday. At the Hospital of the Merciful Brothers, located just 400 meters from the Svratka River, admissions to the maternity ward were suspended, and patients were advised to postpone visits unless absolutely necessary. The incessant rain has also disrupted tram services and canceled sailings on the Brno Dam. The Masaryk University dormitory was also closed, with students advised to stay at home.

In Podyjí National Park, all bridges over the Dyje River have been closed, which has already swelled due to the gradual emptying of the Vranov Dam, and the situation may worsen in the coming hours. In Ostrava, technical teams responsible for cleaning and dewatering storm sewers and removing debris are on alert. Signs for potential temporary traffic changes are also prepared. A regional CHMI representative suggested on Friday afternoon that according to the worst-case scenario, even 400 mm of rain per square meter could fall in the north of the country.

In Prague, district fire stations are distributing sandbags. The city is setting up additional barriers along the Vltava River and closing boat traffic. All cars and trash bins have been removed from the waterfront. Sandbags are also being prepared in the Olomouc Region, where firefighters are clearing all riverbed blockages.

The electricity distributor Eg.D. is warning citizens in the southern Czech Republic, Moravia, the Highlands, and the Zlín Region about potential power outages, including preemptive service interruptions. Meanwhile, Czech Railways has allowed all passengers to return tickets for trains scheduled to run over the weekend without any cost.

Will the drama from two decades ago repeat itself?

The 2002 flood in the Czech Republic resulted in the deaths of 17 people and damages worth 73.1 billion korunas. Two towns, Metly and Zálezlice, were completely destroyed. Prague also suffered significant damage. Will this weekend bring a repeat of that tragedy?

Representative of the T.G. Masaryk Water Management Research Institute in Prague, Tomáš Hrdinka, reassures the Czechs. He believes that over the last two decades, huge investments have been made in flood protection and warning systems across the country. The most important actions, he mentioned, were significantly increasing the retention capacity of reservoirs and installing mobile barriers and embankments along rivers. However, he admitted that in the case of a hundred-year flood—a phenomenon with a 1 in 100 chance of occurring—no measures could stop the overflowing waters.