Heavy rains kill at least 4, force evacuations in central, eastern Europe

Sept. 14 (UPI) -- Heavy rainfall in central and eastern Europe killed at least four and damaged thousands of homes while forcing many to evacuate as a storm system slowly moves across the region.

A slowly moving low pressure system that meteorologists have named Storm Boris inundated parts of Austria, the Czech Republic, Romania, Slovakia and other parts of eastern and central Europe with the heaviest rain totals in years.

At least four died in Romania due to rainfall totals that local officials said is the most in a 24-hour period in the past century.

Officials in Romania created displacement camps and initiated rescue operations to help people reach safety while awaiting the eventual passage of Storm Boris.

All federal states in Austria are affected by the rainfall and experiencing rapidly deteriorating conditions, especially the northeastern state of Lower Austria, Chancellor Karl Nehammer said.

He said the "coming days will still be extremely difficult and challenging for the affected population and the emergency services."

Rivers have crested their banks in Poland and the Czech Republic with more flooding expected. Officials in the Czech Republic issued mandatory evacuation orders.

Eastern and southern states in Germany are preparing for potential flooding, especially in Saxony, while nearby Austria is dealing with rising water levels in several rivers.

Widespread flooding likely will continue throughout the weekend as the low-pressure system slowly moves across the region.