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The government has approved the deployment of soldiers and equipment in the flood-hit areas of the Czech Republic. Up to 2,000 soldiers may be called up to join the clean-up effort from September 17 to October 31, Defence Minister Jana Černochová said on the social network X late on Monday. Seven army helicopters have been helping with the floods so far, while engineers from the 153rd Battalion in Olomouc have been assisting the effort on the ground. “The task of the Czech army is clear and we will do everything we can to help people cope with the consequences of this disaster as quickly as possible," the minister wrote.

Prime Minister Petr Fiala (Civic Democratic Party) confirmed that the upcoming elections to regional councils and one-third of the Senate scheduled for this weekend will take place as planned. Following an extraordinary meeting of the government on its response to the flood crisis, the prime minister said that he firmly believed it was possible to overcome the complications of organizing the elections in the flood-hit regions. He assured voters that the Interior Ministry was already working on an action plan to help bring this about.

Earlier on Monday, Environment Minister Petr Hladik (Christian Democrats) said that in areas where it will not be possible to open polling stations on Friday and Saturday due to flooding or clean-up work, the ballots could be collected by specially assigned teams of volunteers. The regional and Senate elections are due to take place on Friday from 2pm till 10pm and on Saturday between 8 am and 2pm.

As the country battles against extreme floods, Prime Minister Petr Fiala has stressed the need to restore electricity supplies, the communications network and repair damaged roads as soon as possible. On a visit to some of the hardest-hit regions together with Interior Minister Vít Rakušan, the prime minister thanked firefighters, the rescue services and volunteers for the recue and relief efforts underway. "It is premature to estimate the damages; the state and local governments must now concentrate their efforts on the rapid restoration of the damaged infrastructure," Petr Fiala said. The interior minister said deliveries of tankers with drinking water to the flood-affected areas must be accelerated, and the primary needs of citizens must be taken care of.

The first attempt at looting in the areas affected by the floods has been reported from the Moravian-Silesian Region. According to the police it was an isolated case of looting on the premises of a private company in Ostrava. Moravian-Silesian Governor Josef Bělica has sharply condemned the incident and saying that such crimes merit the harshest penalties.