Media: Thousands evacuated in Czech Republic due to floods

Floods in the Czech Republic have forced the evacuation of 10,500 residents from their homes.

The floods, caused by heavy rains, have continued for the second consecutive day, Caliber.Az reports, citing Czech media.

The northeastern regions have been hit the hardest. Authorities in the eastern and southern districts have also reported significant damage due to the floods. Water levels in rivers and reservoirs have risen across almost the entire country.

Meteorologists are forecasting continued rains on September 16. Meanwhile, experts believe that in the coming hours, there may be a gradual decrease in water levels in the raging rivers.

The extent of the damage from the natural disaster will become known in the coming weeks. Four people have been reported missing since September 13 due to the floods. The country's President, Petr Pavel, has urged citizens to assist those affected by the flooding.

On September 15 morning, watercourses reached the culmination of the third degree of flood activity in more than a hundred places, the Czech Environment Ministry said in a statement, calling on the residents of the affected areas to cooperate in the evacuation and to respect the orders of the rescue services.

"I am asking all citizens to postpone travel to the affected areas unless absolutely necessary. At the same time, I appeal to everyone to cooperate with the firefighters or the police and follow their orders, even in the event of a possible evacuation," Minister of the Environment Petr Hladik said.

Due to severe weather conditions, around 260,000 households were without power at 7:00 a.m. September 15. The Moravian-Silesian Region was hit hardest, with over 110,000 homes there left without electricity. Disruptions were also reported on roads, and in the Moravian-Silesian Region, the railway transport was almost paralysed.