Fresh wave of floods hits Czech Republic
While the damage done by the recent devastating floods has not yet been calculated, the Czech Republic suffered another bout of torrential rain at the weekend, causing rivers to burst their banks. Some places have been hit by floodwater for third time in three weeks. Vladimir Tax reports.
Floodwater swept some towns and villages in South Bohemia for the third time this year. The famous medieval town of Cesky Krumlov was also endangered, although it suffered no new damage. This time though, water hit hardest in the Krkonose mountains in North-Eastern Bohemia. The river Upa, which rose by 2 metres, caused heavy damage totalling millions of crowns mainly on roads and bridges.
Experts warn that after decades of relatively low flood activity, the Czech Republic can expect a period of more frequent and heavier rains in the long run. Besides that, many rivers are still high and any heavier rain can cause floods again in the next few weeks before water levels are back to normal.
Fortunately, the weather forecast is optimistic - meteorologists expect partially cloudy and warm weather with little rain in September, although they give their prediction only 60-percent probability. Flood danger, they say, will be over in October or November, when floods occur only very rarely.