Memories of 1997 Haunt Czech Town Hit by Devastating Floods
(Bloomberg) -- The Czech town of Krnov never thought it would see again the kind of water that destroyed homes and inundated businesses more than a quarter of a century ago. Yet its shocked residents are now faced with something worse.
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About 80% of Krnov, which is home to 23,000 people, was flooded in recent days. About 130 people remain in evacuation centers and the rest of the displaced were staying with friends and family, Deputy Mayor Miroslav Binar said in a text message late Monday.
The town on the Opava river, which forms the border with Poland, is a snapshot of the devastation across central Europe from torrential rain that’s rekindled memories of the havoc wreaked across the Czech Republic, Poland and Germany in 1997.
Just weeks ago, the region was baking in heat, a weather pattern that led to a more vicious storm. Red weather alerts remain in place, with thousands of people already evacuated.
Most people in Krnov remain without power or drinking water. The local hospital, lined with sandbags, was operating without working elevators, and was running on a back-up generator, local media reported. The flooding is worse than 27 years ago, Binar said. That’s based on a greater area of the town affected and higher levels of water, he said. “It stunned us.”
Krnov’s history dates back to the 13th century, yet it’s known more now for its soft drinks factory. Kofola CeskoSlovensko AS, named after its flagship caffeinated drink devised in the 1960s as a Communist-era substitute for Coke, said it had to suspend production in Krnov and was unable to say on Monday when operations would resume.
“The water level in Krnov was higher this time than in the dramatic year of 1997, when my father and I sat on the roof of our production hall,” Jannis Samaras, Kofola’s co-founder and chief executive officer, said in a statement. “Tomorrow we’ll start with the cleanup, and we’ll work hard to resume production as quickly as possible.”
Images from the town were closely watched in the Czech Republic as firefighters struggled to convince people to leave their homes. That later complicated the rescue operation as the Opava rose and residents were forced to flee. Binar said it was too early to assess the financial cost.
“Right now, we’re solving basic needs of people,” he said. “But I expect that damages to the town and private property will be in hundreds of million or even a billion koruna.”
--With assistance from Peter Laca.
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