German authorities scrambled yesterday to evacuate thousands of people from cities on the river Elbe as record floods appeared to peak yesterday in the eastern architectural jewel of Dresden.
Elsewhere in flood-ravaged central Europe, where at least 91 people have died in a week in Germany, Russia, Austria and the Czech Republic, Budapest became the next capital city under threat with Hungarian officials saying flood levels were due to peak there on today or tomorrow.
As a wave of floodwater headed down the Elbe in Germany, thousands were evacuated from the heavily industrial city of Bitterfeld amid fears of an environmental disaster if water from a burst dam reached nearby chemical plants.
Emergency workers toiled in the city to build temporary defenses with sandbags.
About 8,000 people around the German town of Torgau had to abandon their homes and several thousand more were set to be evacuated around the central city of Magdeburg, officials said.
German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder is to attend a summit with leaders from the other flood-stricken states of Austria, the Czech Republic and Slovakia in Berlin today.
As recent torrential rains swelled the Danube river, its level in Budapest rose inexorably, but Hungarian officials predicted the city's 10m defenses would be high enough.
They expressed cautious optimism even though Danube water levels have broken all-time records on the upper section of Europe's largest inland shipping route.
After a steady and dangerous rise all week on the Elbe in Germany, floods in Dresden appeared to have reached their peak, although volunteers continued to place sandbags across the baroque city. Historic buildings in the center were inundated.
"We hope that the high point has been reached but we can't be sure," said Kai Schulz, spokesman for the Dresden city government.
The weather service forecast light rain yesterday, but nowhere near the levels earlier in the week that caused record floods in Prague, Dresden and other cultural treasures of Central Europe.
Although many parts of Dresden remained dry, the historic inner city rebuilt after the World War II firebombing -- including architectural landmarks like the Zwinger Palace, the Semper Opera and the Royal Palace -- was flooded.
A total of 5,000 people fought the floods in Dresden, where helicopters clatter daily overhead, sirens echo and pumps drone with orange and red hoses snaking out of basements. "We're pumping out slowly but the Elbe keeps giving back," one firefighter near the Semper Opera said.
Regions along Europe's flooded rivers face a multi-billion-euro clean-up. In the Czech capital Prague, some residents returned home as waters retreated there, but flooding continued elsewhere in the country.
NO HUMAN ERROR: After the incident, the Coast Guard Administration said it would obtain uncrewed aerial vehicles and vessels to boost its detection capacity Authorities would improve border control to prevent unlawful entry into Taiwan’s waters and safeguard national security, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday after a Chinese man reached the nation’s coast on an inflatable boat, saying he “defected to freedom.” The man was found on a rubber boat when he was about to set foot on Taiwan at the estuary of Houkeng River (後坑溪) near Taiping Borough (太平) in New Taipei City’s Linkou District (林口), authorities said. The Coast Guard Administration’s (CGA) northern branch said it received a report at 6:30am yesterday morning from the New Taipei City Fire Department about a
IN BEIJING’S FAVOR: A China Coast Guard spokesperson said that the Chinese maritime police would continue to carry out law enforcement activities in waters it claims The Philippines withdrew its coast guard vessel from a South China Sea shoal that has recently been at the center of tensions with Beijing. BRP Teresa Magbanua “was compelled to return to port” from Sabina Shoal (Xianbin Shoal, 仙濱暗沙) due to bad weather, depleted supplies and the need to evacuate personnel requiring medical care, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) spokesman Jay Tarriela said yesterday in a post on X. The Philippine vessel “will be in tiptop shape to resume her mission” after it has been resupplied and repaired, Philippine Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin, who heads the nation’s maritime council, said
REGIONAL STABILITY: Taipei thanked the Biden administration for authorizing its 16th sale of military goods and services to uphold Taiwan’s defense and safety The US Department of State has approved the sale of US$228 million of military goods and services to Taiwan, the US Department of Defense said on Monday. The state department “made a determination approving a possible Foreign Military Sale” to the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the US for “return, repair and reshipment of spare parts and related equipment,” the defense department’s Defense Security Cooperation Agency said in a news release. Taiwan had requested the purchase of items and services which include the “return, repair and reshipment of classified and unclassified spare parts for aircraft and related equipment; US Government
More than 500 people on Saturday marched in New York in support of Taiwan’s entry to the UN, significantly more people than previous years. The march, coinciding with the ongoing 79th session of the UN General Assembly, comes close on the heels of growing international discourse regarding the meaning of UN Resolution 2758. Resolution 2758, adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1971, recognizes the People’s Republic of China (PRC) as the “only lawful representative of China.” It resulted in the Republic of China (ROC) losing its seat at the UN to the PRC. Taiwan has since been excluded from
RSS