The greatest damage can be seen in the Lower Silesian, Opole and Silesian voivodeships. In the opening speech, Donald Tusk asked for reliable and precise details concerning the situation at the newly opened reservoir in Racibórz. He also noted the difficult situation in Stronie Śląskie after the flood waters subsided.

“Yesterday, we received reports from various areas that are still threatened by the flood. The situation is particularly dramatic in Stronie Śląskie, which faces many issues, even though the water has now subsided,”

the Prime Minister pointed out.

Donald Tusk  also urged local authorities and staff not to ignore signals from residents in distress.

People are in despair. . . If we hear that they were left to their own devices and nobody is helping them, we need to approach every such situation with the care it deserves, get to work and provide support as quickly as we can. . . I want you to focus, especially on the areas that suffered the most,”

the Prime Minister noted. 

He also reiterated his recommendation to combat looting at all costs, stating that the efforts to protect the belongings left behind by evacuated flood victims need to be ramped up.

“Last night, I have received multiple reports of looting and theft. . . I know that the police officers are busy with the emergency response, but after the water has subsided, the situation quickly becomes dramatic. . . I want you to step up your efforts, especially in the larger towns and cities,”

the Prime Minister pointed out. 

The Prime Minister also announced that he had spoken to the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, on aid for the affected areas.

He explained that the European Commission would launch the Civic Protection Mechanism, which would ensure access to equipment, manpower and technology. Should the need arise, Poland can request this support.

During a special meeting of the Council of Ministers, a new regulation declaring the state of natural disaster in parts of the Lower Silesian, Opole and Silesian voivodeships was adopted. Today, the Prime Minister made the decision to expand the list of affected areas with new districts.

“This concerns Lubań, Dzierżoniów and Świdnica districts in Lower Silesia, as well as Krapkowice, Opole, Brzeg and Kędzierzyn-Koźle districts in Opole voivodeship,”

said Tomasz Siemioniak, Minister of the Interior and Administration. 

According to the minister, the relevant act would be amended in the next few hours.

The Prime Minister announced the launch of a special programme supporting the rebuilding of the flood-stricken areas. The programme will be developed by the central and local governments, and supported with EU funding.

“When it comes to rebuilding infrastructure and cleaning up towns and villages, the government will join forces with local government to help. The reconstruction programme will be presented after the emergency response phase concludes. . . We will also have to rethink the budget in these extraordinary circumstances,”

the Prime Minister pointed out. 

As he noted, the financial mechanism of the programme will be partially based on EU funding.  

“We want to ensure full coordination between the central and local government, as well as the European Union, to take advantage of all the measures at our disposal,”

Donald Tusk declared. 

Deputy Prime Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz, who was present at the meeting in Wrocław, assured that the army, authorities and administration would not leave the areas affected by the flood.

“This is yet another priority that we have put in place - supporting local governments in cleaning up, rebuilding and maintaining the capacity of all facilities required for water treatment and other key necessities, as well as households and other premises,”

Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz pointed out. 

The next meeting chaired by Prime Minister Donald Tusk will take place at 6:00 p.m.