Polish premier plans to declare state of natural disaster as floodwaters rise

By Jo Harper

WARSAW (AA) – Poland's Prime Minister Donald Tusk announced on Sunday that the government plans to declare a state of natural disaster due to the ongoing flooding in the southwest provinces.

"I have commissioned the Council of Ministers to prepare a regulation," he wrote on X on Sunday evening.

A state of natural disaster would be declared if the regional authority requested it, as it is used to mitigate the effects of natural disasters or technical failures that occur in such situations, he said.

So far, at least two people have died in the country after floods swept through the south-west regions over the weekend.

The first casualty was in Klodzko County, which Tusk described as the worst-hit area. The second incident occurred in the afternoon in Bielsko-Biala in the Slaskie province.

“The situation is really dramatic,” Tusk said Sunday morning after a meeting in Klodzko.

Emergency services, firefighters, and military personnel have been mobilized, and helicopters have been dispatched in Opolskie province to rescue residents stranded on rooftops.