Torrential rains cause flooding and damage across Poland

Batorski said that, in total on Monday, the fire service intervened 3759 times, of which only a mere 133 dispatches were fire-related. All the other operations related to the so-called local hazards, of which 2125 were caused by the storms.

Most of the incidents were reported in Masovia (462), Subcarpathia (377) and Lesser Poland (270). In majority of cases the firefighters had to pump out water from flooded basements and garages, as well as remove fallen trees.

The fire service spokesman underscored that no one was hurt as a result of heavy rain.

The aftermath of the stormy weather in Poland was among the topics at Monday's session of the Government Crisis Management Team. The group discussed how to cope with flooding and damage in many locations, including collapsed local roads.

For the last few days Poland has been experiencing severe storms with hail and heavy rainfall, that have been causing infrastructural damage worth millions of zlotys.

One of the worst incidents in recent days happened in Łapanów, Lesser Poland, where Stradomka and Tarnawka rivers overflowed and flooded the streets of the town.

The water flooded dozens of houses, farms, outbuildings, as well as the market square, numerous shops and businesses. Firefighters have evacuated dozens of people. Damage has been initially estimated at 17 million zloty.

In reaction to the difficult situation in Lesser Poland, the interior minister Mariusz Kamiński decided on Monday to earmark 1,5 million zloty from disaster relief fund. The money will be spent in the form of aid for people who suffered losses as a result of storms that ravaged Lesser Poland.