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At an emergency session on Monday the Czech government released 40 million crowns (1.6 million euros) in emergency aid to the Liberec region in north Bohemia, hit by devastating flash floods which claimed at least 3 lives and displaced thousands of people at the weekend. The money is to cover the region’s immediate needs such as temporary shelter for the homeless, disinfectants and clean water supplies. Another 300 to 350 million should be earmarked for reconstruction within the next few days, once approximate damage estimates from the stricken region are available. A thousand soldiers should help with the clean-up efforts in the north of the country.

Over the last decade, floods of varying intensity have hit the country almost every year, leading to the destruction of property and in the worst case loss of life. A little earlier I discussed possible reasons for the increase in flood frequency with respected geologist and climatologist Václav Cílek, asking him which factors contributed to the rise in flooding.

Damages from this weekend’s flash floods are estimated at heading for CZK 4 billion (around USD 215 million). To determine how to quickly and efficiently send financial aid to the affected regions, Prime Minister Petr Nečas called an extraordinary government session on Monday morning. On the agenda were both the acute needs of flood-stricken municipalities and a long-term strategy to help the state prepare financially for future floods.

A 16-year-old girl is feared dead after a raft she was on with four others flipped over on the Ohře River near Karlovy Vary. The accident happened shortly after noon on Sunday; the five had been attempting to shoot through a sluice. After the raft flipped, four made it to the river's edge. Police and rescue workers have since been searching for the girl’s body. An official said the flipped raft was following another that had made it through successfully. But, he said, the sluice was dangerous and not intended for such attempts. None of the rafters were wearing safety vests.

Although waters have since begun to recede in some areas, flood warnings remained in ten places on Sunday morning with officials urging drivers, for example, not to head for Frýdlant, badly hit by the floods on Saturday. The army and fire fighters are working to clear routes there as the day continues.

A number of train lines remain closed due to collapsed ground, debris or mudslides, although the line to Dresden, Germany is reportedly now running. Meanwhile, power remains down in three regions where the utility ČEZ earlier declared a state of calamity: Ústí nad Labem, Liberec and Děčin: although some power has been restored, 1,700 households in northern Bohemia remain without electricity.

Rivers or streams on which water levels have begun to drop include the Kamenice, Lužická Nisa, Mandava, and Jeřice but 3rd level warnings (the second highest issued by the Hydrometeorological Institute) remained elsewhere.

In South Bohemia, an emergency flood alert warning has been issued for the Lužnice, which flows through Bechyně and is threatening to break its banks. The town of Veselí nad Lužnicí has begun preparing inhabitants for possible evacuation from their homes.

Prime Minister Petr Nečas has said that the clean-up of the devastation will change budget priorities, stressing that the government has funds in budget reserves which could be allocated to repair damages. The government will hold a special meeting on Monday to assess the situation; the prime minister has not yet said how much funding could be released but expects that an assessment of the costs will be ready within a few days. The prime minister, like the Czech President Václav Kláus, is also heading for the Liberec region to see the impact up close; the president visited on Sunday afternoon.

The City of Prague has halted traffic and transport on the Vltava after water flow on Sunday morning was measured at 600 cubic metres per second. Expected weather conditions should see an even greater volume. Piers will be closed and all transport and activity on the river stopped, deputy mayor Rudolf Blažek said. Anti-flood barriers, such as the one near the Four Seasons hotel not far from the historic Old Town Square, are be putting into effect in keeping with the city’s anti-flood measures.

At least three people drowned in flash floods which hit northern areas of the Czech Republic on Saturday, police and rescue officials have said. The floods struck primarily in the region of Liberec and the neighboring Ústí nad Labem which declared a state of emergency. Among those who died in the floods was an elderly man trapped in his home in Dolní Libchava near Česká Lípa. Officials expect the final toll could be higher, as three people remain missing - including a man who was last seen falling into raging waters.

Along with the toll in lives, floodwaters on Saturday caused untold damage to property and infrastructure, grinding through asphalt roads and railway lines, sweeping away cars, and damaging or destroying personal homes. Around 2,000 people were evacuated from their homes by rescue workers and military personnel called in to deal with the calamity.

Some 700 professional as well as voluntary fire fighters worked around the clock together with the army, which supplied military and police helicopters for rescue missions, as well as heavy machinery and two amphibious vehicles. Both the head of the General Staff, Vlastimil Picek, and Defence Minister Alexandr Vondra flew to flood-stricken areas to assess the damage.

In related news, the Ploučnice broke its banks on Sunday, sending a new wave of flooding in the area of Česká Lípa. Several streets in the historic centre of Mimoň were flooded with metre-high water. Fire fighters are at the scene and have been building sandbag barricades to try and block the flood from spreading still further. Gardening land and a local football field, as well as nearby meadows, were also hit by water.

The governor of the Liberec region has estimated that damage from the flash floods which hit the Czech Republic could exceed one billion crowns (the equivalent of 53.4 million US dollars). The governor, Stanislav Eichler, made the estimate during Sunday afternoon’s visit by Czech President Václav Klaus. Structures which suffered damage include bridges, footbridges and personal homes. Damage to public property in one village, Chrastava, has been estimated at 100 million crowns alone. Meanwhile, several hundred people in flood-hit areas have already begun contacting insurance companies with claims.