Most of the response efforts were concentrated in eastern and central Poland, according to Senior Brigadier Karol Kierzkowski, spokesperson for the Chief Commander of the State Fire Service.
On Sunday, August 18, firefighters responded 457 times to incidents caused by strong winds and heavy rainfall. By 6:00 AM on Monday, there had been 234 reported incidents linked to the overnight storms, as reported on social media by the State Fire Service. Their efforts primarily involved pumping water from flooded streets and basements, as well as removing fallen trees and broken branches from sidewalks and roads.
Weather alert across half of Poland
Storms are also forecasted for the entire day on Monday, August 19. Weather warnings for storms and heavy rainfall are in effect in the western part of the country until 6:00 PM. The situation remains dynamic in central Poland as well.
The Government Security Centre (RCB) has issued a warning about expected storms, heavy rain, and strong winds in southern Poland, with alerts in place from Monday night to Tuesday. Localized flooding may also occur.
12 drownings during the long weekend in Poland
The RCB also reported that during the recent long weekend in Poland, a total of 12 people drowned. According to statistics presented on arcgis.com, 3 people drowned on August 15, 4 on August 16, 4 on August 17, and 1 on August 18, bringing the total number of drownings since April to 245.
Additionally, firefighters have been tackling 158 forest fires since Thursday, including 54 in the Mazowieckie Voivodeship in central Poland, as confirmed by RCB spokesperson Piotr Błaszczyk.
Forest areas in Poland are advised to exercise extreme caution due to potentially dry undergrowth, which can easily catch fire from even the smallest source of ignition.
Cielimowo (central part of Poland), August 18, 2024. A forest fire near Cielimowo in the central part of the country. The blaze primarily consumed trees planted a few years ago to replace those destroyed by the 2017 storm (PAP/Jakub Kaczmarczyk)
Long weekend in numbers. Saturday, August 17, was the deadliest day on Polish roads
Polish police reported that during the long weekend from August 15 to 18, 2024, there were 230 traffic accidents resulting in 21 fatalities and 265 injuries. A total of 1,451 drunk drivers were arrested. Despite these figures being somewhat better than the same period last year, August 17 remains the most tragic day of 2024 so far, with eight deaths, including four motorcyclists.
Fredropol, August 16, 2024. The site of an accident between Fredropol and Aksmanice in southeastern Poland. During the August long weekend, a collision between two cars resulted in two people being injured (PAP/Marek Delmanowicz)
Source: IAR/PSP/RCB/arcgis.com/Polska Policja
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