Heavy rains destroyed two dams, flooding several settlements in Austria

The Lower Austria region has been particularly hard-hit by extreme weather conditions. Heavy flooding has submerged entire towns, and the weather continues to worsen.

According to emergency services, the initial dams to fail were in Gadersdorf and Pottenbrunn. The population is being evacuated, and assistance is only possible in some areas by air, the report states.

Approximately 10,000 emergency responders are involved in rescue operations in Lower Austria. They are rescuing people from rooftops, pumping water from buildings, and clearing roads of fallen trees.

Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer added that over 2,000 soldiers have been deployed to assist the rescue efforts.

"The situation remains serious, and the situation - especially in Lower Austria - is extremely challenging. Thousands of firefighters and other emergency services are combating the floods. The disaster response forces are working very cohesively, including across all provinces, and the Austrian Armed Forces have already deployed 2,400 soldiers," he stated on social media platform X (formerly Twitter).

Additionally, ORF reports that military helicopters are being used to drop sandbags to block one of the breached dams.

Around 100 roads have been flooded, including federal routes and two highways near Vienna - the South (A2) and West (A1) highways. There are also disruptions in public transport in the eastern region, including the rail system. In Vienna, two subway lines are partially out of service due to flooding. Authorities are urging residents to avoid non-essential travel and outings. Several schools have allowed students to skip classes on Monday.

Meteorologists forecast that heavy rains in eastern Austria will continue at least until Tuesday.

Flooding in Poland

Poland is affected by the floods. On September 15, it was reported that heavy rainfall caused a dam breach on the Morawka River, resulting in the flooding of the town of Stronie Śląskie.