Thousands evacuated in Czech Republic due to floods

More than 10,500 people have been evacuated since the start of the floods in the Czech Republic caused by extreme rainfall, authorities said on Sunday.

Vladimir Vlcek, director general of the country's Fire and Rescue Service, revealed the figure on Czech Television. He also said several hundred people were rescued.

On Sunday morning, watercourses reached the culmination of the third degree of flood activity in more than a hundred places, the Czech Environment Ministry said in a statement, calling on the residents of the affected areas to cooperate in the evacuation and to respect the orders of the rescue services.

"I am asking all citizens to postpone travel to the affected areas unless absolutely necessary. At the same time, I appeal to everyone to cooperate with the firefighters or the police and follow their orders, even in the event of a possible evacuation," Minister of the Environment Petr Hladik said in the statement.

"The good news is that the rain is stopping, especially in the Moravian-Silesian Region and the flood wave should reach its maximum today," said Hladik, who is also chairman of the Central Flood Commission, warning that the end of rain "does not mean the end of danger."

Due to severe weather conditions, around 260,000 households were without power at 7 a.m. Sunday. The Moravian-Silesian Region was hit hardest, with over 110,000 homes there left without electricity, according to local media. Disruptions were also reported on roads, and in the Moravian-Silesian Region, the railway transport was almost paralyzed.

The Czech Hydrometeorological Institute said most of rain from this episode has fallen. While Monday's precipitation won't be as intense as Saturday's, saturated basins could still cause streams to rise. Rain will stop by Tuesday, with sunny weather expected from Wednesday.