Poland – Floods in Elblag After 80mm of Rain in 24 Hours

Over 80 mm of rain fell in 24 hours in the city of Elblag in northern Poland on 19 September.

City officials say that streets had to be closed due to flooding after the Kumiela River overflowed. The Kumiela is a small river that runs through parts of the city and on to the larger Elblag River. Local media said that nearby streets, in particular Związku Jaszczurczego, and parts of a hospital were under 50 cm of water.

The local government responded to the flooding, setting up a “City Crisis Management Team” where the services reported the situation. About 450 people worked on flood rescues and later clean-up operations, including police, army, fire fighters, civil protection, municipal services and volunteers.

Some patients from the EL-VITA hospital were evacuated, including a dialysis patient who was transported from the hospital on an excavator, according to local officials.

Elblag’s Mayor, Witold Wróblewski said; “I would like to thank everyone for their engagement and good work. Thank you to all the services that have been fighting the floods for hours. I also thank the private individuals who spontaneously got involved in the rescue action.”

Elblag is a city of around 125,000 inhabitants in Warmia-Masuria Province, located on the eastern edge of the Żuławy region.

Clean up operations begin after floods in Elblag, Poland, 19 September. Photo: City of Elblag

Social Media

Flood Summary

Last updated: September 21, 2017
Event
Northern Poland, September 2017
Date
September 18 to September 21, 2017
Type
Flash flood
Cause
Extreme rainfall

Locations

A - Związku Jaszczurczego, Elblag
B - Hosptial in Elblag

Magnitude

Rainfall level
81.2 mm in 24 hours
Elblag - September 18 to September 19, 2017
River level
Overflowing
Kumiela River, Elblag - September 18 to September 20, 2017
Kumiela is a small river and a tributary of the Elblag River.

Damages

Buildings damaged
50 buildings
Elblag - September 18 to September 21, 2017
Estimated figure. Local government reports that 2 streets near the Kumiela River were closed after flooding.