Europe suffers ‘one of the costliest’ storms

As Storm Boris/Anett continues to affect Europe, flooding and damage in the Czech Republic, Poland and Austria could make it “one of the costliest events on record for the region”, according to Aon’s Impact Forecasting team. Slovakia and Romania have also been impacted by the storm, which has brought continuous rainfall since 12 September to swell rivers and water courses to bursting.

Aon said waters have not yet fully receded and more rain is expected, spreading to southern Germany and Italy. At least 16 people have died and more remain missing.

Flood waves continue to pose a risk along main water courses in Austria and in Poland, where evacuations are underway. Residents of Nysa in Poland were told the whole town was at risk of flooding from a wave potentially several meters high, while the collapse of a reservoir in Stronie Ślonskie flooded the entire town. Bratislava in Slovakia is braced for the Danube to crest today at near-record levels.

Aon said “significant damage occurred in parts of the Czech Republic, Poland and Austria” as the storm stalled over the region and caused unusual amounts of rainfall for the time of year. In the Czech Republic, the most affected areas are in the catchments of the Opava, Odra and Morava rivers with “instances of catastrophe damage” in the Jeseniky region, which was largely cut off after structures and bridges were swept away. Several towns and municipalities in the Czech Republic were partly or completely flooded, Aon said, with 80% of the town of Krnov underwater.

Austria has also seen rain and widespread flooding, particularly in lower Austria, which was declared a disaster area. Aon said notable property losses were reported from the districts of Tulln and Krems, as well as cases of damage and disruption in Vienna, including to its metro systems, as the river Wien overflowed.

With comparisons made to the floods of 1997 in the Czech Republic and Poland, Aon said flood protection measures over the past 20 years, alongside more effective warning systems and forecast, have helped to mitigate damage.