Weekly review no. 48
20.09.2024
Czech Republic after the floods
Broken dams, flooded towns, washed-out roads and railways have been the main features of the landscape over the past few days, particularly in northern Moravia and the Silesian part of the Czech Republic. Entire districts in Ostrava, the third largest city in the Czech Republic, were under water. The town of Hanušovice was flooded within a very short time by a tidal wave from the Morava (Morava) because a dam had burst. The worst hit towns were Krnov, Jeseník and Opava, which were almost completely submerged for several days. Even in parts of the city where nobody had expected it. Thousands of people had to be evacuated and five people lost their lives.
Not only the transport infrastructure and private homes were affected. Companies were also flooded. For example, a packaging warehouse belonging to drinks manufacturer Kofola in Krnov was flooded. Kofola also owns the two breweries Holba and Litovel in Hanušovice and Litovel. However, they were prepared and were able to avoid major damage.
The extent of the financial damage is still being calculated. The Ministry of Finance wants to increase the current budget by 30 billion crowns (1.2 billion euros). At the same time, the Ministry of Finance assumes that it will have to compensate for a quarter of the damage. This would mean that the total damage would be higher than ever before at 120 billion crowns. The damage caused by the floods in August 2002 was the highest at 71.49 billion crowns. This was followed by the severe flood in Moravia in July 1997 with 25.99 billion crowns.
Other forecasts assume that the damage will be lower than 22 years ago. The reason for this is the long warning period. The forecasts were very accurate and most of them came true as predicted. This meant that precautions could be taken in good time. Dams released water in advance to provide more storage space for the flood. Thanks to the Vltava cascades, the floods on the Vltava and Elbe were kept within limits and were manageable. Many flood protection measures taken since 1997 also came into effect and prevented worse. However, not only the people, but also the authorities and aid organizations reported that the situation was worse than expected, especially in some regions of Moravia and Silesia.
By the end of the week, the water had receded in most regions and alert levels were revoked. The water level on the Elbe is also falling faster than expected. On Friday morning, more than half a day earlier than expected, the river in Děčín had already dropped to alert level 2. Only in South Bohemia on the Lužnice River was the third flood warning level still exceeded on Friday.
Castle hill in Varnsdorf reopened
After four years of renovation, the chalet on Hrádek Hill near Varnsdorf has been reopened. The reopening had to be postponed again and again as the renovation proved to be more complex than expected. The historic hut was also given a new terrace, the steps and paths were redesigned and the access road was modernized and equipped with lighting. Hrádek (German: Burgsberg) is located in the immediate vicinity of Seifhennersdorf and is a popular excursion destination. The observation tower has been opened for the time being. There is also a restaurant in the chalet, which has been equipped with a new kitchen. The town is still looking for an operator for the restaurant.
Czech Commissioner for Development Aid
First energy, then trade and finally "international cooperation" and the Global Gateway project. Czech EU Commissioner Jozef Síkela had to take a back seat in the allocation process for the commissioner posts in Ursula von der Leyen's new EU Commission. Nevertheless, his subject area is likely to be influential. With the Global Gateway project, the EU wants to limit China's influence, particularly in Africa and Latin America, and become an important strategic partner for countries on both continents. Síkela's department is heavily funded and staffed. This shows the importance that the EU attaches to cooperation with the countries of the so-called Third World.
District and senate elections
The Czech Republic faces an important election this weekend. On Friday and Saturday, district parliaments and a third of senators will be elected. Despite the immense damage, the government decided to hold the elections in the hard-hit districts.
The elections are seen as a test of the mood for the national elections next fall. However, interest is traditionally low. Voter turnout is usually below 50 percent. In the Liberec district, the mayoral party of the ruling district governor Martin Puta is slightly favored. In the Ústí district, ANO can hope to win the election, despite a corruption scandal shortly before the elections.
ANO already has Jan Schiller as district governor, but had decided to go into the elections with new top personnel. However, the leading candidate and mayor Marek Hrabáč stumbled across a corruption scandal in August. He has been in custody since then and has been stripped of all his offices. Former manager of the Lovochemie chemical plant and Environment Minister Richard Brabec is now standing as the ANO's lead candidate. Brabec has already announced that he will not relinquish his seat in the Czech parliament in Prague even if he becomes district governor.
Polling stations opened on Friday between 2 and 10 pm. On Saturday, polling stations will open from 8 am to 2 pm. The first results are expected on Saturday evening.
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