SLOBOZIA CONACHI, Sep 15 (V7N) – Four people have lost their lives in Romania as devastating floods caused by Storm Boris swept through parts of central and eastern Europe, rescue services reported on Saturday. The storm has unleashed torrential rains and caused widespread disruption across Austria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Romania, and Slovakia since Thursday.
 
Romanian President Klaus Iohannis highlighted the growing impact of climate change, which he said is becoming increasingly evident across Europe. "We are once again facing the consequences of climate change with dramatic outcomes," he stated, calling for enhanced measures to anticipate extreme weather events.
 
In Romania's Galati region, the worst-hit area, rescue teams discovered four bodies and reported that over 5,000 homes had been damaged. Hundreds of people have been rescued across 19 regions in the country, with videos showing villages by the Danube river submerged in floodwaters. Emil Dragomir, the mayor of Slobozia Conachi in Galati, described the disaster as "catastrophic," noting that 700 homes in his village had been flooded. Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu is visiting the affected area, while President Iohannis extended his condolences to the families of the victims.
 
Storm Boris has also caused havoc in neighboring countries. In the Czech Republic, nearly 100,000 firefighters were mobilized to respond to around 2,900 incidents, most caused by fallen trees and flooding. Around 50,000 homes were without power on Saturday, and a hospital in the southeastern city of Brno had to be evacuated due to the storm. "The ground is now saturated, so all the rainwater will remain on the surface," Environment Minister Petr Hladik warned, advising residents to take precautions.
 
In Slovakia, authorities declared a state of emergency in the capital Bratislava as floodwaters threatened parts of the city. Meanwhile, in Poland, the government warned of worsening conditions in the southwest, prompting the closure of the Golkowice border crossing with the Czech Republic and the suspension of train services between Prudnik and Nysa.
 
The situation has also been dire in Austria, where wind speeds reached 146 kilometers per hour (91 miles per hour) in the southern region. Firefighters in Vienna have responded to around 150 incidents since Friday, clearing roads and pumping water from cellars. In the western regions, snowfall up to a meter (three feet) deep has blanketed mountainous areas, an unusual occurrence for mid-September.
 
With the storm's impact still unfolding, parts of Austria have been declared disaster zones, while Chancellor Karl Nehammer warned that the worst is yet to come.

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