Hotline 71 Air quality: unfavourable. Data from hours On 8 th July , the flood wave reached Lower Silesia. Before that happened, heavy rains had swept through Poland from 4 th July. Particularly difficult was the situation in the Opole province, where a flood alert was announced already on 6 th July.
On the night of 7 th July, things became so dangerous that the media began to inform about the first casualties of the deluge. The situation became more difficult every year; to make matters worse, it became clear that services had not been prepared for the flood, so all undertaken actions were insufficient. Another day brought even greater losses. A rapid increase of the water level on the Oder in Trestno near Wroclaw sparked concern throughout the region.
Many places began to suffer from a shortage of food and equipment, and some flooded villages were cut off from the transport system. The highest flood alert was announced in Wroclaw, and shifts of flood squads were held. The motorway connecting Opole with Wroclaw was flooded. The situation became increasingly dramatic every hour. Opole was inundated, and Wroclaw was preparing for the fight against the flood. Food disappeared from shop shelves with lightning speed; the city inhabitants bought up mineral water, candles, torches and batteries.
The inhabitants of these villages had no influence on the decision of the authorities — moreover, they learnt about it from the press. Consequently, they held a protest against the blowing-up of the embankments. Panic broke out in the city, and the inhabitants tried to save their belongings.
This brought serious consequences for the capital of Lower Silesia. On the night of Friday to Saturday, Opatowice and then the Wroclaw waste-water treatment plant were flooded.
