News

Heavy rainfall affected nearly all of Czechia, with up to 59 liters per square meter recorded in the Jeseniky Mountains in northern Moravia over the past 24 hours. At the moment, about twenty locations report flood alerts, mostly at the first level of flood warning. With more rain expected through the weekend, there are official warnings that flooding could reach levels similar to those in 1997 or 2002.

The Czech capital Prague is also preparing for possible flooding that could occur due to increased flows on the Vltava River. The flood gates on the Čertovka canal will be closed at 10 am on Friday and the river embankments will be closed to the public from mid-day Friday. The outdoor events which were due to be held there at the weekend have been cancelled. Barriers are being erected at high-risk places. According to Prague 1 Mayor Terezie Radoměřská, an automatic sandbagging machine on Rohanský ostrov is now available to people who need sandbags. Police, fire crews and volunteer firefighters are on standby.

Russia remains by far the biggest threat to the security of the Czech Republic, the Czech counterintelligence service BIS says in its annual report for 2023. The counterintelligence service warned particularly about heightened cyber threats and risks associated with new technologies. "Russia's efforts to polarize the public, spread disinformation or engage in sabotage activities pose a serious security risk to the Czech Republic," the intelligence agency says. It also warns against China's heightened intelligence activities on Czech territory, Islamic terrorism and extremism.

The Czech water management authorities have been releasing water from the country's reservoirs so as to increase their capacity for an incoming flow of water. There is now room for an extra 751 million cubic metres of water in the country’s water basins and reservoirs, Agriculture Minister Marek Výborný said on Thursday evening.

Due to the extreme rainfall forecast, the Czech Republic was not able to comply with Germany’s request to reduce the flow of the Elbe because of the collapsed bridge in Dresden. In fact the authorities have warned that the flow may increase sharply in all the countries’ rivers as the ground becomes saturated. Czechia is in contact with water management authorities in neighbor states regarding the situation.