1997 Central European flood
Meteorological history | |
---|---|
Duration | July 1997 |
Overall effects | |
Fatalities | 114 (56 in Poland, 50 in the Czech Republic) |
Damage | $4.5 billion |
Areas affected | Czech Republic, Poland, Germany |
The 1997 Central European flood or the 1997 Oder Flood of the Oder and Morava river basins in July 1997 affected Poland, the Czech Republic and Germany, taking the lives of 114 people and causing material damages estimated at $4.5 billion (3.8 billion euros in the Czech Republic and Poland and 330 million euros in Germany). The flooding began in the Czech Republic, then spread to Poland and Germany. In Poland, where it was one of the most disastrous floods in the country's history,[1][2] it was named the Millennium Flood (Powódź tysiąclecia).[2] The term was also used in Germany (Jahrtausendflut).[3] The event has also been referred to as the Great Flood of 1997.[2][4]
Causes
Southwestern Poland and the northeastern Czech Republic experienced two periods of extensive rainfall, first occurring 3–10 July and second 17–22 July.[2][5] The precipitation was caused by a Genoa low pressure system, which moved from northern Italy to Moravia and Poland. The unusual development occurred when a field of higher air pressure between the Azores Islands and Scandinavia was blocked. The center of low pressure remained over southern Poland for a long period of time.[2]
The precipitation was very high, measuring 300–600 millimetres (12–24 in), and corresponded to several months' average rainfall over a few days.[1] Water levels rose 2–3 m above previously recorded averages[1] and were so high that they caused the water to flow over existing measurement poles. It was one of the heaviest rainfalls in recorded world's history.[4] It was dubbed the Millennium Flood because a likelihood of such a flood in a particular year was estimated at 0.1%.[6][7]
Floods
Flooding began on 5 July in the Czech Republic and spread to Poland on 6 July. Those early floods were very rapid
On 18 July, Polish president Aleksander Kwaśniewski declared a day of national mourning.[9]
Water levels
Water levels recorded on the Oder river in the flood period:[10]
Location | Oder-km | Maximum water level [cm] |
Date |
---|---|---|---|
Racibórz Miedonia | 55.5 | 1045 | 9 July 1997 |
Ujście Nysy | 180.5 | 768 | 10 July 1997 |
Rędzin | 261.1 | 1030 | 13 July 1997 |
Brzeg Dolny | 284.7 | 970 | 13 July 1997 – 14 July 1997 |
Malczyce | 304.8 | 792 | 14 July 1997 – 15 July 1997 |
Ścinawa
|
331.9 | 732 | 15 July 1997 |
Głogów
|
392.9 | 712 | 16 July 1997 |
Nowa Sól | 429.8 | 681 | 16 July 1997 |
Cigacice | 471.3 | 682 | 19 July 1997 |
Połęcko | 530.3 | 595 | 24 July 1997 |
Ratzdorf | 542.5 | 691 | 24 July 1997 |
Eisenhüttenstadt | 554.1 | 717 | 24 July 1997 |
Frankfurt/Oder
|
584.0 | 657-656 | 27 July 1997 |
Słubice | 584.1 | 637 | 27 July 1997 |
Kietz | 614.8 | 653 | 27 July 1997 – 28 July 1997 |
Kienitz | 633.0 | 628 | 24 July 1997 |
Gozdowice | 645.3 | 659 | 31 July 1997 – 1 July 1997 |
Hohensaaten-Finow | 664.9 | 729 | 31 July 1997 |
Hohensaaten Ostschleuse OP (Oderseite) |
667.2 | 805 | 31 July 1997 |
Bielinek | 673.5 | 712 | 31 July 1997 – 1 August 1997 |
Stützkow | 680.5 | 1009 | 29 July 1997 |
Schwedt Oderbrücke | 690.6 | 886 | 2 August 1997 |
Schwedt Schleuse OP (Oderseite) |
697.0 | 840 | 1 August 1997 – 2 August 1997 |
Widuchowa
|
701.8 | 760 | 2 August 1997 – 3 August 1997 |
Gartz (Oder)
|
8.0 | 698 | 1 August 1997 – 2 August 1997 |
Mescherin | 14.1 | 672 | 3 August 1997 |
Gryfino | 718.5 | 649 | 3 August 1997 |
Ückermünde
|
Oderhaff
|
536 | 6 August 1997 |
Fatalities and damages
The flood caused the deaths of 114 people (56 in Poland,[11][12] 50 in the Czech Republic[13]) and material damages estimated at $4.5 billion[14] (3.8 billion euros in the Czech Republic and Poland and 330 million euros in Germany).
In Poland, it is estimated that 7,000 people lost all of their possessions. 9,000 private businesses were affected and 680,000 houses were damaged or destroyed. The flood also damaged 843 schools (100 destroyed), 4,000 bridges (45 destroyed), 14,400 km of roads and 2,000 km of railways. In total, 665,835 hectares were affected in Poland (an estimated 2% of total Polish territory).
In the Czech Republic, 2,151 flats and 48 bridges were destroyed. was most severely affected.
In Germany there were no fatalities.[17]
Responses
Government responses in the Czech Republic and Poland were criticized.[4] The flood revealed various inadequacies in decision making and infrastructure, although the unprecedented magnitude of the disaster was seen by some as a mitigating factor.[1][2]
Numerous charities provided aid to those affected by the floods.[18]
In popular culture
In the wake of the floods in 1997, Polish rock band Hey released the song Moja i twoja nadzieja ("My and Your Hope"). All proceeds from the sale of the single went towards victims of the floods.[19] Hey also brought together a group of the most prominent Polish singers at the time to record a cover of the song (known as the "'97 version") for charity-. Also in 1997, Hey released the album Cegiełka na rzecz ofiar powodzi ("A Brick for Flood Victims"), containing five versions of the song - Hey's original single, the '97 version, an instrumental cover, an acoustic cover, and a jazz interpretation (by Anna Maria Jopek).
In October 2022, Netflix released High Water, a Polish-language six-episode limited series inspired by the 1997 flood. Set in Wrocław, Poland, it depicts the lead-up to the floods and reactions by the city and regional authorities, as well as inhabitants of surrounding villages (represented by the fictional village of Kęty). Although directors Jan Holoubek and Bartłomiej Ignaciuk emphasised that the series was not a documentary, they have been praised for the authenticity of the series.[20]
See also
- 2010 Central European floods
- European floods: 2002, 2005, 2006, 2009
- List of floods in Europe
References
- ^ ISBN 978-0-7923-6826-7.
- ^ ISBN 978-1-4020-5740-3.
- ISBN 978-3-8258-9008-7.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-412-37100-4.
- ^ (in German) Studien und Tagungsberichte, Schriftenreihe des Landesumweltamtes Brandenburg. Band 16 – Das Sommerhochwasser an der Oder 1997 – Fachbeiträge anläßlich der Brandenburger Ökologietage II. Potsdam. Marz 1997
- ^ (in Polish) Przemysław Berg, Czy grozi nam powódź: Widmo Wielkiej Wody, Polityka, 21 lutego 2010
- PMID 31323878.
- ^ Dwa i pół tysiąca poszkodowanych, Wielka powódź '97, "Tygodnik Prudnicki", Andrzej Dereń, 27 (861), 4 July 2007, p. 12.
- ^ (in Polish) Zarządzenie Prezydenta Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej z dnia 15 lipca 1997 r. w sprawie opuszczenia flagi państwowej Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej. M.P. 1997 nr 42 poz. 423
- ^ Studien und Tagungsberichte, Schriftenreihe des Landesumweltamtes Brandenburg. Band 16 – Das Sommerhochwasser an der Oder 1997 – Fachbeiträge anläßlich der Brandenburger Ökologietage II. Potsdam. Marz 1997
- ^ (in Polish) ZBIGNIEW W. KUNDZEWICZ, MACIEJ ZALEWSKI, ANDRZEJ KĘDZIORA, EDWARD PIERZGALSKI, Zagrożenia związane z wodą Archived 7 October 2011 at the Wayback Machine, NAUKA 4/2010 • 87–96
- ISBN 978-1-4020-5740-3.
- ISBN 978-0-412-37100-4.
- ISBN 978-1-4020-4597-4.
- ISBN 83-85176-68-3
- ISBN 978-92-828-6073-1.
- ISBN 978-3-540-24417-2.
- ISBN 978-0-7864-3797-9.
- ^ "HEY - CEGIEŁKA NA RZECZ OFIAR POWODZI (1997)". HEY (in Polish). Archived from the original on 23 November 2010.
Wkrótce po wielkiej powodzi, która nawiedziła Polską w 1997 roku opublikowano charytatywny singiel pod oficjalnym tytułem "Cegiełka na rzecz ofiar powodzi". Na krążku znalazło się aż pięć wersji "Mojej i twojej nadziei": dwie znane z "Fire", instrumentalna, jazzująca w interpretacji Anny Marii Jopek i wreszcie z najważniejszą p.t. "Moja i twoja nadzieja '97", gdzie z oprócz Kasi Nosowskiej zaśpiewali: Edyta Bartosiewicz, Natalia Kukulska, Maryla Rodowicz, Joanna Prykowska, Patrycja Kosiarkiewicz, Renata Dąbkowska, Anna Świątczak, Czesław Niemen, Grzegorz Markowski.
- ^ Dowell, Stuart (12 October 2022). "Netflix drama High Water about Silesia's 1997 'flood of the millennium' praised for its authenticity". The First News. Retrieved 14 October 2022.
The makers of the series are keen to point out that it is not a documentary. However, many are lauding the authenticity of the series, for example, the scenes of local people coming out of their homes to help, and especially when a bus is commandeered to take patients from a hospital to safety.
External links
Media related to Oder floods in 1997 at Wikimedia Commons
- The Flood of the Millennium in Wrocław, July 1997 Archived 19 November 2017 at the Wayback Machine
- Flood in Poland. Poland needs help! (historical)