(26 Jul 1997) German/Nat
Thousands of people have been forced to evacuate their homes in Germany, as central Europe continues to be swamped by the worst flooding in two centuries.
The crisis has triggered the biggest peacetime mobilisation of German troops since 1945, with 8-thousand troops now running the relief effort around the River Oder.
Heavy rain started to push up river levels about three weeks ago in Poland and the Czech Republic, where floods killed at least 100 people.
Since then the deluge has moved steadily downstream into eastern Germany, straining the flood defences on a 95 mile stretch of the river.
Using sandbags and gravel, troops have been battling to protect 20 low-lying villages from the raging Oder river.
Crews were still working on Saturday morning to strengthen the defences on a low-lying plain north of Frankfurt an der Oder.
The round-the-clock sandbagging kept the water from breaking through.
SOUNDBITE: (German)
"We got called here, because it is a stretch of the river Oder, where the water is pushing west towards the village. We should be able to prevent that, so that it goes towards the river and not to the village. That's why we are building the dam here."
SUPER CAPTION: Werner Roeder, special squad border guard
But despite the efforts to hold back the deluge, the government has ordered about a quarter of the region's 20-thousand residents to leave.
With parts of the earth barrier still in danger of washing away, thousands of people have left for higher ground.
Residents in the village of Wiesenau used boats on Saturday to retrieve belongings that had escaped the high water levels.
The village of Aurith has been completely evacuated - with the water now reaching the roofs of the houses.
Boarder guards keep watch in patrol boats in case of looters.
The floods have also has a disastrous effect on the surrounding wildlife.
In some cases injured animals are put out of their misery by hunters, who also remove carcasses to prevent the spread of disease.
Although many animals have died through the flooding, some of them have been rescued, like this deer which exhausted itself trying to stay afloat.
As efforts to hold back the water continues, the pressure on the dike is unrelenting - and there's little sign of a reprieve, with more rain forecast for the weekend.
Find out more about AP Archive: [ Ссылка ]
Twitter: [ Ссылка ]
Facebook: [ Ссылка ]
Instagram: [ Ссылка ]
You can license this story through AP Archive: [ Ссылка ]
