Floods reach record high levels in parts of central Europe: AIR Worldwide

Severe flooding in central Europe has caused thousands to evacuate their homes and disruptions to infrastructure, particularly in Germany, according to AIR Worldwide.

Heavy rains over the past several weeks have caused that the catastrophe modeller says are the worst floods in more than 70 years. Germany, Austria, the Czech Republic, Switzerland, Hungary, Slovakia and Poland have all been affected, AIR said in an advisory on Monday.

The rain has also caused landslides in mountainous areas and river levels have also risen to record highs, it noted.

Germany has been hit particularly hard, with water levels in Passau (at the intersection of the Danube, Inn and Ilz rivers) reaching the highest recorded since 1501. Electricity has also been shut off across the country, AIR noted.

Flood warnings in the Czech Republic are in effect for 40 cities, including Prague, the firm also said.

“Disruptions to infrastructure include flooded and blocked roads, and train tracks, along with power outages, and has hampered rescue efforts,” AIR said.

About 90% of the single family homes in the countries affected are of masonry construction, with the rest being wood or reinforced concrete, according to AIR.

“As most of the homes are one-story buildings, floods can damage a significant percentage of the building and its contents,” the firm said. “The presence of a cellar increases the risk for contents damage, although heavily-used cellars often have better flood defenses than unfinished ones.”

CBC Ticker – German city copes with worst flood in 500 years: Germany dispatches thousands of soldiers to help… bit.ly/14s9TWh

— CBC Headlines Ticker (@cbcNewsTicker) June 4, 2013

Most apartment buildings in the affected regions are also masonry and reinforced concrete, AIR noted. Most commercial buildings are also masonry (especially in Germany and Austria) or reinforced concrete.

“Note that many buildings in Europe have mixed occupancies, with the ground floor used for shops while the upper floors are residential,” AIR said. “Unlike single-family homes, these buildings often have a large degree of engineering and are built to stricter standards with sophisticated flood defenses, particularly in flood-prone areas.”

The firm will continue to issue updates on the flooding situation.