Widespread flooding in Poland due to storm "Boris" has prompted the country's government to declare a state of natural disaster, MSN reported.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk explained, "I convened a meeting to issue an order to declare a state of natural disaster as soon as possible."
He added that the government will soon provide a detailed list of counties and municipalities affected, and that one billion zloty from a reserve fund will be allocated to aid victims of the floods. However, he stressed, "As part of the provisions in the state of natural disaster, there is a tool that allows for an evacuation order."
He added, "We will only use it when people’s lives are directly in danger."
Among the dams which broke due to the flooding was the Morawka River dam; when it broke, the city of Stronie Śląskie in the Lower Silesian Voivodeship flooded.
Poland is not the only country affected by the flooding: The unusually heavy rainfall throughout Central Europe has caused flooding in multiple countries, including Austria, Romania and the Czech Republic.
Three districts in Vienna, Austria, lost power due to the storm, as the water level of the Wien River rose from half a meter to over two meters within a single day.
In the northeastern Czech Republic, multiple towns and cities have been submerged, and thousands have evacuated.
“The worst is behind us and now, we have to deal with all the damage,” Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala said, following a visit to the hard-hit town of Jesenik.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán canceled his scheduled foreign visits, stressing, "Until we reach the peak and get past the worst of it, I naturally won’t be leaving the country, I’ll be here at home."
Hungary's Danube River is expected to overflow into the country's capital city of Budapest.
Thus far, at least 16 people have died due to the flooding: three in the Czech Republic, one in Austria, five in Poland, and seven in Romania.