2002 European floods

Major European floods in August 2002 November 2019 Schillergarten Dresden August 2002.jpg Flooded Elbe in Dresden August 2002 yes 2002 08 27.7 billion 232https://floodobservatory.colorado.edu/Publications/Europefloods.pdf Large floods in Europe, 1985-2009 7 January 2013 floodobservatory.colorado.eduAugust 2026 InternetArchiveBot Austria Croatia Czech Republic Germany Hungary Romania Russia Slovakia Italy Spain Ukraine Bulgaria thumb|The Elbe before and after the 2002 flood In August 2002, a week of intense rainfall produced flooding across a large portion of Europe. It reached the Ukraine, Italy, Spain, Austria, Germany, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic and Russia.Rene Volfik Europe's Flood Part of Global Deluge 15 August 2002 https://www.csmonitor.com/2002/0815/p01s02-woeu.html Christian Science Monitor 28 January 2008 https://web.archive.org/web/20080101044421/http://www.csmonitor.com/2002/0815/p01s02-woeu.html 1 January 2008 live The event killed 232 people and left 27.7 billion (US$27.115 billion) in damage. The flood was of a magnitude expected to occur roughly once a century.Wild Weather Has Happened Before, Will Again 19 August 2002 https://www.usatoday.com/weather/news/2002/2002-08-18-wildweather.htm USA Today 28 January 2008 Flood heights unknown since St. Mary Magdalene's flood were recorded.http://forms2.rms.com/rs/729-DJX-565/images/fl_2002_central_europe_flooding.pdf Event report 2002 forms2.rms.com 5 September 2017 13 April 2018 https://web.archive.org/web/20180413055930/http://forms2.rms.com/rs/729-DJX-565/images/fl_2002_central_europe_flooding.pdf dead Development Flooding resulted from the passage of two Genoa low pressure systems (named Hanne and Ilse by the Free University of Berlin) which brought warm moist air from the Mediterranean northwards.System Explanation of Floods in Central Europe http://nadine.helmholtz-eos.de/risks/flood/info/fl_system_en.html Helmholtz-Association 28 March 2012 The effects of El Niño may have contributed.El Nino 11 August 2002 http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/2186275.stm BBC News 28 January 2008 The floods gradually moved eastwards along the Danube, although the damage in the large cities on its shores was not as severe as in the areas affected by the floods later. When the rainfall moved northeast to the Bohemian Forest and the source areas of the Elbe and Vltava rivers, the results were catastrophic water levels first in the Austrian areas of Mühlviertel and Waldviertel and later in the Czech Republic, Thuringia and Saxony. Several villages in Northern Bohemia, Thuringia and Saxony were more or less destroyed by rivers changing their courses or massively overflowing their banks. Areas affected thumb|Flooding in Prague The floods were part of a larger system that was also affecting Asia. Several rivers in the region, including the Vltava, Elbe and Danube reached record highs.Thousands Flee Dresden Floods 16 August 2002 https://www.theguardian.com/naturaldisasters/story/0,7369,775789,00.html The Guardian London 28 January 2008 Czech Republic thumb|Flood damage in the Karlin district of Prague thumb|Flooded Prague metro network in 2002 Prague received significant damage from what were deemed to be the worst floods ever to hit the capital. The flow of Vltava culminated at 5300 m3/s, 20% more than during the flood of 1845. Among the regions of the capital city most severely affected were Karlín, Kampa, Holešovice and Libeň, where there was a significant risk of building collapse.Czechs Told to Avoid Weak Buildings 18 August 2002 http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/2201555.stm BBC News 28 January 2008 Most of Prague's artwork was saved due to warning of high water levels,Art Saved from European Floods 15 August 2002 http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/arts/2195743.stm BBC News 28 January 2008 https://web.archive.org/web/20080214171159/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/arts/2195743.stm 14 February 2008 live but there was significant damage to the Prague Metro subway system, much of which was completely flooded,Askold Krushelnycky Officials Try to Shift Blame as Prague's Metro Floods 24 August 2002 https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2002/08/24/wflood24.xml https://web.archive.org/web/20021026061712/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=%2Fnews%2F2002%2F08%2F24%2Fwflood24.xml dead 26 October 2002 The Daily Telegraph London 28 January 2008 as well as to the historic Prague pneumatic post, which was forced to cease operation.Lazarová, Daniela. Magazine 11-10-2003 Radio Prague 10 November 2003. The collections of the National Library of the Czech Republic and the Prague Municipal Library were inundated. Despite the chaos and lack of preparation, Czech librarians and archivists were able to send a significant percentage of their flooded collections to be frozen, thus staving off immediate destruction of these historic collections by water or mold.Ray, Emily. "The Prague Library Floods of 2002: Crisis and Experimentation." Libraries & the Cultural Record 41.3 (2006): 381–391. The Terezín Memorial https://www.hsozkult.de/debate/id/diskussionen-205 Bericht ueber die Gedenkstaette Theresienstadt nach der Flut 31 July 2021 27 October 2020 16 October 2021 https://web.archive.org/web/20211016000946/https://www.hsozkult.de/debate/id/diskussionen-205 dead and Prague's Jewish Quarter also received significant damage,http://www.jewishmuseum.cz/en/aflood.htm Flood Damage in the Jewish Museum in Prague in August 2002 28 January 2008 Pavlat Leo 27 August 2002 The Jewish Museum in Prague https://web.archive.org/web/20070927235817/http://www.jewishmuseum.cz/en/aflood.htm 27 September 2007 dead a part of the estimated $30 million in damage to Czech cultural sites including: the Prague Municipal Library, Malá Strana, the National Theatre and Terezín.Stanislav Peska Czechs Salvage Soggy Treasures 30 August 2002 https://www.csmonitor.com/2002/0830/p06s01-woeu.html Christian Science Monitor 28 January 2008 The evacuations before the worst of the flooding have been cited as one of the reasons for relatively little loss of life in the capital.Flight Before the Flood 13 August 2002 http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/2190354.stm BBC News 28 January 2008 https://web.archive.org/web/20071216133746/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/2190354.stm 16 December 2007 live An estimated 40,000 people were evacuated from Prague.The Prague floods, 10 years on 15 August 2012 http://www.praguepost.com/news/13995-the-prague-floods-10-years-on.html Prague Post 3 June 2013 Among the animal deaths resulting from the flood was Gaston, a sea lion from the Prague Zoo who swam to Germany following the flooding of his aquarium. For some time, it was believed he would survive, but he died following capture in Dresden.Sorrow as 'hero' flood seal dies 21 August 2002 http://edition.cnn.com/2002/WORLD/europe/08/20/floods.seal/ CNN 28 January 2008 In total, 17 people died in the Czech Republic due to the floods, and damage from the flood was estimated at between 70 and 73 billion Czech koruna.http://m.ceskenoviny.cz/archiv/zpravy/czech-republic-in-2002-july-september/20504 Czech Republic in 2002: July – September Ceskenoviny.cz 9 December 2002 5 February 2014August 2026 InternetArchiveBot http://www.novinky.cz/domaci/172748-nynejsi-povodne-jsou-treti-nejtragictejsi-v-historii-cr.html Nynější povodně jsou třetí nejtragičtější v historii ČR cs Current floods are third most tragic in the history of the Czech Republic Novinky.cz 2 July 2009 6 June 2013 The damage to the Prague Metro has been estimated at 7 billion Kč.Povodně 2002: Voda zaplavila 18 stanic metra, zavřela je až na půl roku https://praha.idnes.cz/povodne-2002-voda-zaplavila-18-stanic-metra-f0u-/praha-zpravy.aspx?c=A120814_1816326_praha-zpravy_sfo iDNES.cz 14 August 2012 Germany Germany was the hardest hit, with over two-thirds of the flood's total losses.Helmer, M. & Hilhorst, D.J.M. 2006, "Natural disasters and climate change", Disasters, vol. 30, no. 1, pp. 1–4. The 10 years of renovation work that had been carried out since reunification in 1990 in the town of Grimma, in the former East Germany, were said to have been destroyed in one night.Peter Green Otto Pohl As Floods Ebb in Prague, Threat Rolls into Germany 15 August 2002 https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C07E2D9163DF936A2575BC0A9649C8B63&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=all The New York Times 28 January 2008 Dresden received significant damage when the Elbe River reached an all-time high of 9.4 meters (30.8 feet). More than 30,000 people were evacuated from various neighborhoods throughout the city and some of the city's cultural landmarks were considered to be at risk. Extensive damage, of around 42 million euros, was caused to Dresden Main Station where floods went through the station concourse and out through the other end.Volkszeitung Leipziger 2012-08-13 Wie die Weißeritz Dresden in den Rücken fiel: Schutz vor Jahrhunderthochwasser steht inzwischen https://www.lvz.de/mitteldeutschland/wie-die-weisseritz-dresden-in-den-ruecken-fiel-schutz-vor-jahrhunderthochwasser-steht-inzwischen-M4TG6CPSOGPPRIZ4B7OQSUV3TU.html 2025-08-12 www.lvz.de de Dresden's Zwinger Palace, home to a significant number of Europe's artistic treasures including Raphael's Sistine Madonna, was at risk from the flooding Elbe; however, all of the artwork was saved.Battle to Save Dresden's Treasures 15 August 2002 http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/2195729.stm BBC News 28 January 2008 https://web.archive.org/web/20071216133831/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/2195729.stm 16 December 2007 live The Semper Opera House also suffered damage. Russia The Black Sea Coast region was among the most severely hit regions of Russia with significant loss of life due to a tornado that hit the tourist region and destroyed homes.Europe Flood Toll Rises to 26 9 August 2002 http://archives.cnn.com/2002/WORLD/europe/08/09/russian.floods.deaths/index.html CNN 28 January 2008 https://web.archive.org/web/20071124063129/http://archives.cnn.com/2002/WORLD/europe/08/09/russian.floods.deaths/index.html 24 November 2007 This was after earlier summer floods in southern Russia. All told, damage in the region was calculated at more than $400 million.Russia Floods Death Toll Now 93 15 August 2002 http://archives.cnn.com/2002/WEATHER/06/29/russia.floods/index.html?related CNN 28 January 2008 22 October 2008 https://web.archive.org/web/20081022130729/http://archives.cnn.com/2002/WEATHER/06/29/russia.floods/index.html?related dead Regions spared thumb|Flooding in Budapest Although all of Europe was affected to some degree by the record rainfall, some cities were spared the severe flooding that hit Dresden and Prague. Although the Danube reached record highs, both Bratislava and Vienna were spared significant flooding. Bratislava's flood protection measures withstood the water,Nick Thorpe Defences Hold Fast in Bratislava 16 August 2002 http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/2198850.stm BBC News 28 January 2008 https://web.archive.org/web/20071216140554/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/2198850.stm 16 December 2007 live while it was generally believed that Vienna was spared significant damage due to the city's engineering, and plans were undertaken to see if such work could be applied to the other cities as well.Europe's Flood Lessons 19 August 2002 http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/low/world/europe/2203152.stm BBC News 28 January 2008 After-effects Once the water levels returned to normal and residents returned to their homes, they faced not only the damage left by the flood waters but also threats of disease due to decaying waste and food. The danger increased due to flooding of sewage treatment plants and the risk of damage to chemical plants.New Threat for Flood-hit Europe 20 August 2002 http://archives.cnn.com/2002/WORLD/europe/08/20/europe.floods/index.html CNN 28 January 2008 https://web.archive.org/web/20071124064519/http://archives.cnn.com/2002/WORLD/europe/08/20/europe.floods/index.html 24 November 2007 European leaders gathered in Berlin to discuss the effects of the floods and to create a better understanding of how to prevent such disasters in the future. This meeting garnered some criticism, as Russia, which had suffered significant damage, was not invited to what was billed as a meeting of EU members and future members.Kate Connolly European Leaders Hold Flood Crisis Talks 19 August 2002 https://www.theguardian.com/naturaldisasters/story/0,,776751,00.html The Guardian London 28 January 2008 The EU leaders did promise aid to the central European countries that suffered the most under the floods with money coming from the EU's structural budget and this outreach to non-members was seen as symbolic to portray a truly united Europe.EU Pledges Flood Recovery Aid 18 August 2002 http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/2200690.stm BBC News 28 January 2008 See also List of floods in Europe 2002 Glasgow floods European Flood Alert System German Flood Service Medal (2002) References External links Flood Photographs of Prague Photographs of flooded metro in Prague European Flood Alert System European Floods, 2002 Category:2000s floods in Europe Category:2002 floods Category:Genoa lows Category:August 2002 in Europe Floods