BOHUMIN, Czech Republic (AP) 鈥 Torrential rains have gone, flooding waters have been receding and the sun was shining again in the Czech town of Bohumin. But Zuzana Kublova was not in a mood to enjoy it.
The house where Kublova鈥檚 family lives was inundated as was almost this entire town in the worst flooding in years that spread at a
After three days in safety upstairs, without power, running water or a cellphone signal, she stepped down to face a scene of destruction.
鈥淭he entire ground floor is flooded, so all of us seven people and two dogs have to live together on the first floor without electricity and water,鈥 Kublova told The Associated Press on Tuesday.
鈥淎nd don鈥檛 even ask how we go to the toilet,鈥 she said. 鈥淚t has happened again, something that had happened to us two or three times in the past.鈥
The town was submerged by a flood wave brought by the Oder River that was fueled by record rains in northeast Czech Republic in recent days.
Bohumin was submerged because it鈥檚 among the places that still don鈥檛 have an adequate protection against repeated flooding in this part of the country.
Other places ravaged by floods, including Opava, Krnov and parts of the nearby regional capital of Ostrava, experienced a similar ordeal, which many compared to 鈥渢he flood of the century鈥 in 1997.
鈥淭he damages will be huge,鈥 Kublova said. 鈥淎ll is destroyed downstairs. The floors are gone.鈥
Authorities estimated the damage was in the billions of euros (dollars) in one region alone.
The Czech government approved the deployment of 2,000 troops to join firefighters and others to help with clean-up and recovery efforts.
鈥淲e are like newlyweds, resettling again,鈥 Kublova said after inspecting the ground floor, still partially flooded. 鈥淚t is not very amusing though, till we get some insurance ... it is hard to talk about it.鈥
Three Czechs were among at least 16 people who have been reported killed in the floods, including in Romania, Poland and Austria. No fatalities were reported in Bohumin.
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Associated Press writer Karel Janicek in Prague contributed to this report.
