Government offers emergency help to flood-hit Moravia

The Czech government has offered 800 soldiers to help with the clean-up caused by floods and high winds across the east of the country. The offer followed an emergency meeting of the cabinet called to discuss crisis measures on Monday. One of the worst hit regions, the Moravia-Silesia region, made an immediate demand for 500 soldiers to help it recover from the damage caused by ongoing flooding.

The Moravia-Silesia region earlier declared a state of alert with special flood committees meeting in three of the worst affect towns and cities: Karviná, Český Těšín and Třinec. Parts of Karviná, Ostrava and Valašké Meziříčí have been evacuated with road and rail services cut across the region. Authorities said on Monday afternoon that safety levels at two smaller reservoirs in Moravia-Silesia had been passed and water flows could no longer be regulated.

The floods have claimed one victim, a 69-year-old woman who drowned in the garden of her home in Třinec on Sunday after the River Olše burst its banks. With many rivers at danger levels, the forecast is for rain to continue until Tuesday evening. Power companies have also declared an emergency situation in the Moravia-Silesia and Zlín regions after falling power lines left around 10,000 people without electricity.