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At least 10 people are known to have died after flooding hit parts of Moravia on Wednesday night. The latest victim was announced at one in the worst hit areas, Nový Jičín. Earlier the ninth victim - from Valašské Meziříčí - apparently died from a heart attack after his car was inundated. Three people drowned when their house in Jeseník nad Odrou was flooded. Others drowned in the nearby towns of Žilina, Žitovice and Černotín, while two elderly people died when they were unable to receive medical assistance because of the high waters. Hundreds of homes were flooded, people evacuated and roads, power, and rail links cut. The same region suffered nearly 50 deaths in flooding in 1997. Forecasters say the situation is unlikely to improve on Thursday as heavy rain and storms are expected to continue in Moravia and Silesia.

The government called a meeting of its security council to discuss the flood situation on Thursday morning. The meeting decided to immediately release 54 million crowns to help those hit by the floods. It also decided to send in 1,000 soldiers to dealing with the emergency. Most of these will be engineers. A call for soldiers to be dispatched had been made earlier by the regional governor of Moravia and Silesia, Jaroslav Palas. President Václav Klaus was also updated earlier on the disaster by Interior Minister Martin Pecina.

Flash floods swept across the north of the Czech Republic on Wednesday night, claiming at least 10 lives, washing away homes and severely disrupting transport. On Thursday, Prime Minister Jan Fischer called a meeting of the state security council, which pledged to deploy 1,000 soldiers to the areas worst affected, and millions of crowns in emergency aid.

The highest level of flood alert is no longer in place on any of the Czech Republic’s rivers. There had been fears that rivers including the Sázava, Dyje, and Jihlava would burst their banks; however, thanks to a drop in both precipitation and temperature water levels have begun to fall. Heavy flooding in the Czech Republic in 1997 and 2002 led to deaths and significant material damage.

With further rain expected, three rivers broke their banks at points on Friday, increasing concern over the threat of large-scale flooding in parts of the country. As water levels pass critical points on the Sázava, Dyje, and Jihlava Rivers, authorities in Prague have closed floodgates as a preventative measure, though the capital is not presently expected to be at serious risk of flooding. Above-average water levels were reported in places on Friday, however no risk to life or property was reported and by evening the levels of some rivers were falling. The Czech Republic was hit by devastating floods in 2002 which wreaked hundreds of millions of crowns in damages.

Prague’s flood defence system was brought into operation on Thursday, amidst warnings of rising water levels across the country’s rivers. Flood gates on the outskirts of the capital were closed, blocking river traffic from entering into the metropolis. As snow melts in Moravia and eastern Bohemia, and with 15 mm of rain forecast for Friday, meteorologists warned of the possibility of floods in the capital going into the weekend. River traffic within the capital itself has not been disrupted, but many boats moored along the Vltava have been ordered to go to the harbour in Holešovice. Local authorities have said that they are taking precautions and that the situation as yet does not look too dangerous.

Disaster struck the National Czech and Slovak Museum and Library in the US state of Iowa in June, when extreme flooding submerged the museum building. The damage caused to the building and its contents is thought to run into millions of dollars, and is expected to take years to repair. But the work should be made that little bit easier by a million-crown contribution from the Czech government which has just been announced. The museum’s director Gail Naughton has been in the Czech Republic over the last week to discuss the terms of the gift. I caught

In this edition of Spotlight we visit Veltrusy Chateau, a gorgeous summer estate found north of the Czech capital. Founded in the 1700s by Czech nobleman Václav Antonín Chotek, Veltrusy is far from an obvious destination, but is well-worth a day-trip. The castle grounds boast a 300 hectare park along the Vltava River, with numerous paths leading among ancient trees to pavilions, a bridge or two and various monuments. Then of course, there is the chateau itself, highly valued as a gem of Baroque architecture.

One month after falling victim to the worst floods in the Midwest’s recent history, the Czech and Slovak Museum and Library in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, is getting back on its feet. The museum building may be out of action after flood waters reached the roof of the structure, but it’s business as usual for the museum staff, who are holding their first event since the floods this Thursday night. I asked museum manager Gail Naughton for an update:

Hundreds of priceless Czech and Slovak artifacts are submerged after severe flooding in the US state of Iowa. The Czech and Slovak Museum in Cedar Rapids, opened in 1995 by then president Havel, alongside his American and Slovak counterparts, has been devastated by the floods. I spoke to museum manager Gail Naughton about the extent of the damage: