Soldiers, emergency workers, and volunteers in Wrocław, Poland, worked through the night to reinforce flood defences as the EU warned that simultaneous floods in central Europe and wildfires in Portugal show the reality of climate breakdown.
In Poland, over five times the average September rainfall in five days has led to widespread flooding, killing 22 people across Poland, Austria, Romania, and the Czech Republic. Emergency crews fortified riverbanks with sandbags as the Oder River continued to rise, while €395m in aid was allocated to rebuild damaged infrastructure.
Meanwhile, Portugal declared a “state of calamity” as wildfires raged, killing seven and destroying thousands of hectares of forest. Both disasters highlight the increasing severity of climate-induced extreme weather events across Europe. European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen is set to visit Wrocław to meet with political leaders to address the crisis. Read More
News Credit: The Guardian
Picture Credit: Maciej Kulczyński/EPA