Major floods in Europe
Recent floods have created havoc across northern Europe, resulting in at least 9 deaths. With the authorities currently swamped, DW takes a look at some major floods which have affected Europe in the last half a century.
2014 Southeast Europe floods
In May, 2014, a low-pressure cyclone affected a large area of Southeastern and Central Europe, causing floods and landslides. Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina suffered the greatest damage due to the heaviest rains in over 120 years. At least 86 people died and thousands were forced from their homes. Assessments of the damage range up to 3.5 billion euros.
2012 Krasnodar Krai floods
The Krasnodar Krai floods occurred near the coast of the Black Sea, southwest Russia in July, 2012. At least 171 people died due to the floods and nearly 13,000 homes were destroyed. The floods were part of the aftermath of an intense storm that hit Krasnodar, dropping almost half a year’s worth of rainfall on the region over two days. Close to 30,000 people were affected by the floods.
2010 Central European floods
The 2010 Central European floods were a devastating series of weather events, which occurred across several Central European countries during May and June, 2010. Poland was the worst affected, while Austria, Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Slovakia, Serbia and Ukraine also felt the effects. At least 37 people died in the floods and some 23,000 people had to be evacuated.
2009 European floods
The 2009 European floods were a series of natural disasters that took place in June, 2009 in Central Europe. Austria, the Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia and Turkey were affected. The heavy rains caused the rivers Oder, Vistula, Elbe and Danube to burst their banks. At least 33 people were killed in the floods.
Floods in Jarovnice 1998
Jarovnice is a village and municipality in Sabinov District in northeastern Slovakia. Heavy rains on July 20, 1998, brought about the worst floods in Slovak history, changing otherwise quiet rivers into a lethal force. The tragic results of these destructive floods were 63 dead, over 3,000 people evacuated from their homes and 2,000 houses destroyed.
1997 Central European floods
The 1997 Central European floods affected Poland, Germany, and the Czech Republic, causing material damages estimated at 3.8 billion euros in the Czech Republic and Poland and another 330 million in Germany. The flooding began in the Czech Republic and later spread to Poland and Germany. The floods caused the deaths of 105 to 115 people in Czech Republic and Poland.
‘Valtellina disaster’
This disaster occurred in the northern Italian Alps in July-August 1987. It involved heavy rainfall and glacier melting. The debris from the Val Pola rock avalanche and landslide dammed up the Adda River creating a lake with 6 million cubic meters of water. The landslide itself obliterated 5 villages and six hamlets, and 43 people died of various disaster-related causes.
Vajont Dam disaster 1963
The Vajont Dam is a disused dam in the valley of the Vajont River, north of Venice, Italy. On October 9, 1963, 260 million cubic meters of rock broke off from the top of Monte Toc. 'The debris fell into the reservoir of the Vajont Dam, producing an enormous wave of at least 50 million cubic meters of water. Flooding destroyed several villages in the valley and killed 1,917 people.