Floods in Europe

[Frezzato]

I don't have cable TV any more so I missed news of the horrible flooding in parts of Europe, which started a week ago. Any Escapists out there that were caught in this? I suppose if you were, then you wouldn't be on The Escapist right now. It seems that primarily the Elbe and Danube rivers are overflowing and that Budapest will be flooded by Monday [http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/story/2013/06/08/europe-flooding.html].

Germany, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Austria and more [http://www.theatlantic.com/infocus/2013/06/flooding-across-central-europe/100530/]. Is this a common thing? And I thought dealing with hurricanes in Florida was bad. Winds and rain for 24 hours is one thing. Tons upon tons of water is an entirely different level of destruction.

Spoiler: Yikes!

[/spoiler]

[spoiler=Crazy.][img src=http://cdn.theatlantic.com/static/infocus/euroflood060713/s_e13_RTX10B31.jpg][/spoiler]

[spoiler=I hate to say this, but...]This retaining wall is simply beautiful. The sheer engineering involved in holding back tons of water with what appears to be aluminum alloy...mind boggling.[img src=http://cdn.theatlantic.com/static/infocus/euroflood060713/s_e25_69961222.jpg][/spoiler]

You guys out there caught in the flood, stay safe.

 

[Queen Michael]

Jesus H. Christ. I'm glad I'm Swedish and not affected by this.

Captcha: doctor who?
Nice reference, captcha.

 

[Ryotknife]

wow....that water is surprisingly calm in the first picture.

Also, that retaining wall is impressive. Especially since it was likely put up at the last minute.

 

[wearesoneutralthatithurts]

well, i think the water is coming to my state now-lower saxony, but i live in the west, so here i wont get problem.

ist just eerie-the weather here in the north was fine and nice, no rain, beautiful sun and 300 kilometres away the fucking world ends and the water is up to 9 metres high in some states, on person died, million euro costs and the eu has no money to help out-but well, we are a rich country i think, we will get on. but some people really should consider recognizing that this wont be the last flood. The idea is to flood the basements with water-so there wont come all the mud in and the water inside will help against the weight of the water outside. i think this situation might happen far more often in the future..


thats passau:

that seems to be near deggendorf in bavaria..

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-133702/Thousands-flee-homes-floods-hit-Germany.html

more pictures, german text-but very short^^
http://www.n-tv.de/mediathek/bilderserien/panorama/Magdeburg-zittert-vor-den-Fluten-article10786651.html

here is some video http://www.dw.de/germany-braces-as-flood-waters-surge-north/a-16868494

 

[Superbeast]

That is some flooding! I am amazed that it is so bad - and also amazed that they manage to get those walls erected, I have severe doubts if anything similar could be achieved here in the UK when we have our floods.

@The OP - no, flooding on this scale is not particularly common, but flooding itself is. Speaking for the UK, there tends to be annual flooding in certain areas (usually due to development on historic flood planes, so it is hardly a surprise) - sometimes fairly bad, but the reported nine metre water levels are crazy.

Whilst my sympathies go to those affected, wet weather (and the flooding it brings) is something of a national joke, at least in the UK. Though I do not want to make light of the situation, I cannot help but be reminded of an old joke:

"In the Bible it rained for 40 days. They called it a disaster. In England we call it 'summer'.

 

[Stavros Dimou]

Wow does it rain so much there ?
In the South where I live it only rains enough for not having shortage problems.
It seems its bad when land is flat. Where I live ground is rocky and full of altitude differences,so water doesn't really gets stuck somewere but keeps flowing until it reaches the sea.

 

[Wadders]

Wow, that's some impressive engineering! Pisses all over the sorry sandbags we use over here.

Not to belittle this disaster as I've heard several people ave died, but I'm finding it hard not to gloat. Europe usually gets nice sunny summers, while we in the UK get wet and gray shite for months on end.

Now, the tables have turned, as we're enjoying one of the sunniest and hottest weeks for ages!

 

[purf]

Wow does it rain so much there ?
In the South where I live it only rains enough for not having shortage problems.

It's not only rain but also the time of year where you have huge amounts of meltwater coming down from the Alps filling the rivers.

Also this:

[...] there tends to be annual flooding in certain areas (usually due to development on historic flood planes, so it is hardly a surprise)

 

[hazabaza1]

Jesus fuck. I'm glad I live in England now, recently it's been sunny as balls. A particularly luminescent pair of balls.

 

[Henkie36]

Wow, that alluminum wall is better than a heap of sandbags. I think however that it's not so much the tonnes of water that is the problem, but that they all arrive at once. Those area's are capable of draining a substancial amount but this is simply much too much in a very short period of time. I don't think that even the Dutch waterworks would be able to hold back such a vast amount of water, and our waterdefenses are without a doubt the best in the world.

Captcha: gone fishing. There's irony in that, but I can't quite put my finger on it.

 

[Boris Goodenough]

Wow, that's some impressive engineering! Pisses all over the sorry sandbags we use over here.

Not to belittle this disaster as I've heard several people ave died, but I'm finding it hard not to gloat. Europe usually gets nice sunny summers, while we in the UK get wet and gray shite for months on end.

Now, the tables have turned, as we're enjoying one of the sunniest and hottest weeks for ages!

Since when has the UK not been part of Europe (while humans have been alive)?

 

[Wadders]

Wow, that's some impressive engineering! Pisses all over the sorry sandbags we use over here.

Not to belittle this disaster as I've heard several people ave died, but I'm finding it hard not to gloat. Europe usually gets nice sunny summers, while we in the UK get wet and gray shite for months on end.

Now, the tables have turned, as we're enjoying one of the sunniest and hottest weeks for ages!

Since when has the UK not been part of Europe (while humans have been alive)?

Well yeah it is, technically. Most people here don't consider themselves European though, and Europe is talked about as being something separate.

Island mentality and all that.

 

[Boris Goodenough]

Well yeah it is, technically. Most people here don't consider themselves European though, and Europe is talked about as being something separate.

Island mentality and all that.

I know, I just like to tease UKers with it

 

[keniakittykat]

I live in the Netherlands. We have already been called the 'dry Atlantis' because we're so far below sea-level. Even if the storm reaches our little country, we have little to fear. The last big flood we couldn't handle was all the way back in 1953. Dutchmen are masters of dealing with water, any water. (I believe it were even Dutch people who invented those flood-fences.)
And every big river and canal has been deepened slightly, the dykes are all being inspected and strengthened. We are ready =D

 

[Wadders]

Well yeah it is, technically. Most people here don't consider themselves European though, and Europe is talked about as being something separate.

Island mentality and all that.

I know, I just like to tease UKers with it

Haha yeah we're pretty sensitive/easily wound up about it

 

[Frezzato]

snip

I'm curious, did you hear any warnings through the EFAS [http://www.gripweb.org/gripweb/?q=countries-risk-information/databases-information-systems/european-flood-alert-system-efas] (European Flood Alert System) in advance? I wonder if it worked.

 

[Madman123456]

Germany's all squeaky clean now that it has been taking a bath =)

Many walls and dykes could've been built but were ironically "stonewalled" by, and here's more irony, "green" activists who are now to blame for several protected nature reserves under muddy water. Go green! Hmpf.

 

[BlackStar42]

So glad I live nowhere near a river and don't have to deal with floods. You lot on the mainland, stay safe.

 

[SunyiNyufi]

Well Budapest isn't as bad as smaller places near the river...here only the embankment is flooded and the Margit Island is bit cut off, also you shouldn't take a car if you want to get around the city. So yeah, could be worse. Although that rain yesterday and the one they predict for tomorrow is certainly not helping matters at all.

 

[MeChaNiZ3D]

Oh gosh, I'll send over all the swimmers I don't need.