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As water levels recede, revealing the enormity of the destruction wrought by the devastating floods that swept through the Czech Republic, offers of help have started pouring in from around the world. Daniela Lazarova has more :

As water levels in south and central Bohemia recede, towns along the river Elbe in north Bohemia are still bracing for the worst . The swollen river is expected to peak sometime on Friday. Emergency crews and volunteers have been working hard to minimize the damage. In the town of Usti nad Labem the banks of the river are piled high with sandbags and the town's mayor has asked the defense ministry for armored vehicles to help anchor barges on the river.

The mayor of Prague Igor Nemec has warned the inhabitants of evacuated districts not to return to their homes before they are declared safe. Two four storey houses in the flooded district of Karlin collapsed early on Thursday causing concern over potential casualties. Rescue workers searching the area , said no one appeared to have been hurt in the incident since the houses had been standing empty, slated for demolition. The authorities are now worried about the state of other flood damaged buildings whose inhabitants might have disregarded the evacuation order and remained in their homes.

A third degree chemical alert was called in the north Bohemian town of Neratovice on Thursday following a leak of poisonous chlorine gas from the flood damaged Spolana chemical factory. The inhabitants of the town were ordered off the streets and warned to keep their windows closed. Chemical experts who measured the amount of chlorine in the air for several hours said evacuation would not be necessary since the amount measured was not considered a health risk. Chlorine is deadly to humans in high concentrations and was used as a chemical weapon in World War One. Greenpeace activists have expressed concern about possible contamination of the river Elbe if poisonous dioxins and 250,000 kg of mercury stored at the Spolana chemical plant should leak.

A man watching the police blow up a stray cargo boat on the river Elbe on Thursday morning was killed by shrapnel. A special police commando was ordered to sink four cargo boats which had floated out of control in the floods and threatened to damage bridges along the river. The man was one of several onlookers who gathered to witness the operation but it is not clear whether he disregarded police instructions and crossed into an off limits zone for a better view. He is said to have died on the spot.

One of the most powerful images of the floods over the last few days has been the sight of the medieval bridge in the town of Pisek entirely under water, with nothing but the Baroque statues on the parapet visible above the rushing river. Scenes of the ancient Lesser Town of Prague have been just as dramatic, and not surprisingly there are fears that permanent damage could have been caused to some of the country's most important historic monuments. David Vaughan reports.

The sweeping floods that hit the Czech Republic have caused enormous damage. According to estimates, the damage is likely to be higher than that caused by the disastrous floods which hit the Eastern part of the Czech republic five years ago. Insurance companies say the current catastrophe will certainly be among the biggest in the Czech modern history.

Offers for financial help have started coming from abroad. Several European countries offered help individually. Besides that, the European Commissioner for enlargement..