Czech Environment Ministry to analyse flood reasons by end 2009 (České noviny)

The Czech Environment Ministry will by the end of 2009 work out an analysis of the floods that started in north and central Moravia ten days ago and spread out to another six regions quickly, Environment Minister Ladislav Miko said.

The current floods have some elements in common. They have developed quickly from regular evening and night torrential rains during which a huge amount of water falls down in a very short time that the soil is unable to absorb.

The flooding has claimed 14 lives. The latest victim, a man who drowned near Bory in the Vysocina region, was reported today.

The total precipitation amount in the Novy Jicin area, north Moravia, which was the most severely hit by the flooding, was 120 litres of water per square metre per hour that would be a normal amount for the whole month.

The river level in the area rose by five metres quickly in the the first flood wave.

The air humidity is also unusually high in the Czech Republic, resembling the tropical climate.

"In connection with climate change we expect to be more and more often exposed to extreme weather, such as the current flash floods.... This is why we have to analyse and assess them thoroughly and decide what measures should be taken to soften the consequences of such floods as much as possible in the future," Miko said.

The Local Development Ministry announced it was prepared to earmark 480 million crowns from its budget and the State Housing Development Fund for the removal of flood-damaged houses and the construction of new ones.

The Agriculture Ministry, too, is mapping the damage caused to the state property. It said it had released 30 million crowns to the river managements for the removal of flood consequences and anti-flood measures.

The Health Ministry assigned the State Health Institute to work out a study on the liquidation of mosquitos in the flood-hit localities.

The state of flood danger remains in some parts of the Moravian-Silesian and Olomouc regions, north Moravia, and in the the South Bohemian region.

As of today, a total of 915 houses and other facilities were inundated or damaged by flooding in the Jesenik area, 562 in the vicinity of Prerov, 969 in the Moravian-Silesian region and 528 in South Bohemia.

The total damage incurred in connection with the recent floods has been estimated at 5.5 billion crowns.

ČTK, České noviny, 3. 7. 2009, 14:08, News in English