His announcement comes after a tense night that saw the flood wave surge through the nearby town of Oława and then reach Wrocław without causing any significant damage.
Speaking on Thursday morning, Tusk emphasized that this did not mean “that the flood in Wrocław had been beaten” and cautioned against any “unjustified feelings of euphoria and relief.”
He added: “I would prefer us to hold on tight and try to guess the trends [of water levels] as precisely as possible so that we can keep the people of Wrocław informed as accurately as we can.”
Robert Czerniawski, the director of the Institute of Meteorology and Water Management, said that, crucially, the Racibórz reservoir, which secures a 600 km² area that includes Wrocław, had held and was now registering receding water levels. “That is the most important thing,” he said.
Czerniawski added that water levels in Opole, Brzeg, and Oława had all dropped slightly and that in Trestno, a small village on the southeastern outskirts of Wrocław, the water level had reached 631 centimeters. “Here it’s stabilizing,” he said, adding that he expected it to maintain a level between 630 and 640 centimeters.
This level—about a meter less than that recorded in 1997 during the so-called ‘flood of the millennium’—will remain for a day or two as the wave passes through.
For another night, soldiers and residents worked side-by-side to shore up the flood defenses of Marszowice, a particularly vulnerable district of Wrocław. While many locals have breathed a sigh of relief, the situation remains delicately poised.
Grzegorz Waljiewski, a spokesman for the Institute of Meteorology and Water Management, said: “The water level is still dangerous; it is still above the alarm level.”
According to hydrologist Izabela Adrian, a further risk is posed by water backing up in rivers feeding into the Oder River.
“There are many other rivers flowing into the Oder in the vicinity of Wrocław, such as the Widawa, Oława, Ślęza, Bystrzyca,” she told Gazeta Wyborcza. “These rivers are also very full, but the water in them might not have the strength to penetrate further into the Oder, so it might back up or overflow into the surrounding areas.”
With much still in the balance, Donald Tusk has lashed out at those spreading disinformation and has publicly spoken out over rumors that flood embankments are to be blown up. “Nobody has any intention to blow anything up,” said Tusk, “let’s close this topic.”
According to reports, a man dressed in military uniform and driving a car with false registration plates has been stopping members of the public to spread these rumors. Security services are now investigating the matter.
