Romania has set up displacement camps and launched rescue operations after floods killed at least four people and destroyed thousands of homes in the east of the country.<\/p>\n Military boats and planes are being used to move people to safety, and Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu has said the priority now is to prevent further loss of life.<\/p>\n Recent days have seen torrential rain sweep through central and eastern Europe, swelling rivers and triggering flood warnings in the Czech Republic, Poland, Austria, Slovakia, and Hungary.<\/p>\n The flood barriers in Czech capital Prague have been raised, while in parts of Poland residents have been evacuated.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n The four dead people were found in the southeastern Romanian region of Galati during a search and rescue operation, emergency services confirmed to the AFP news agency.<\/p>\n “Dozens of people were rescued from their homes in 19 areas of the country,” they added. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n In Poland<\/b>, interior minister Tomasz Siemoniak said there was a “difficult situation” in the areas surrounding four rivers.<\/p>\n In the southwest, the River Biala has exceed safe levels by two meters, and there is particular concern about the nearby towns of Morow and Glucholazy.<\/p>\n Glucholazy resident Piotr Jakubiec said he had prepared sandbags and pumps to divert the water but that it was “impossible to predict what’s going to happen”. <\/p>\n “This is the second time in my life that I’ve seen such a phenomenon. It’s a nightmare for the people who live here,” he said.<\/p>\n Another resident, Zofia Owsiaka, said that everyone in the town was “scared” and that there seemed to be “no hope of the rain stopping”.<\/p>\n “Of course I’m scared. Water is the most powerful force of nature. Everyone is scared,” she said.<\/p>\n In the town of Wroclaw, thousands of residents had to use the staircases of the high-rise blocks because the lifts were shut amid flooding fears, local media reported. <\/p>\n Prime Minister Donald Tusk has sought to reassure the public that the forecasts are “not overly alarming” and that the threat does not extend across the whole country.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n In the Czech<\/b> Republic<\/b>, the highest flood alert had been declared in 38 different locations.<\/p>\n In Prague, flood barriers have been raised, embankments have been closed to the public, and the zoo has been closed.<\/p>\n On Friday morning, a one-metre-thick steel gate was used to close off the so-called Devil’s Canal or Certovka<\/i>, which runs through the city.<\/p>\n The gate is part of a nationwide network of flood defences installed to prevent a repeat of catastrophic damage caused by flooding in 1997 and 2002.<\/p>\n Attention is focused this weekend on central and eastern parts of the country, especially North Moravia, where 50 people lost their lives in 1997. <\/p>\n The Jeseniky mountains could receive some 400mm over the next three days, and that water will then cascade down the River Oder (Odra<\/i> in Czech) and on towards Poland, passing a number of towns and villages on the way.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n In Austria<\/b>, which officials say experienced its hottest August since records began, many regions are expecting 10-20cm of rain in a matter of days. In parts of the north, over 20cm is forecast. <\/p>\n Storm warning centre UWZ said some parts will see previous records for the entire month of September “surpassed in just a few days”.<\/p>\n Manuel Kelemen, a forecaster for Puls24 TV, said that “what we’re experiencing is extraordinary, if not unprecedented”.<\/p>\n Flooding and landslides are also possible, with gale force winds expected in capital Vienna, and heavy snowfall in the west has also caused travel disruption. <\/p>\n Continuous heavy rain is also expected across the border in the German state of Bavaria.<\/b><\/p>\n Extreme precipitation is becoming more likely in Europe, as across much of the world, due to climate change.<\/p>\n A warmer atmosphere can hold more moisture, which can lead to heavier rainfall.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n![](\"https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/bbcx\/grey-placeholder.png\")
![\"Polish](\"https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/480\/cpsprodpb\/4367\/live\/5db2bb40-71d2-11ef-9b65-9b0b047907ee.png.webp\")
Polish Police<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n![\"](\"https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/480\/cpsprodpb\/3e0a\/live\/b4315db0-71b8-11ef-a57f-95918dd30643.jpg.webp\")
MARTIN DIVISEK\/EPA-EFE\/REX\/Shutterstock<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n![\"GeoSphere](\"https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/480\/cpsprodpb\/2eae\/live\/3792ad70-71ba-11ef-a57f-95918dd30643.png.webp\")
GeoSphere Austria<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n