Storms and Floods

Floods in Central Europe - Update

German flood threat heads north towards Dresden

Thousands of German troops have been sent to help flood-hit regions as rising rivers threaten more cities. Surging waters that have already caused extensive damage across central Europe are moving north and east along rivers including the Elbe and Danube.

Meanwhile river levels in the Czech capital Prague have begun to fall. Large areas of suburban Prague were flooded but metal barriers protecting the historic city centre held as the floods peaked and the high waters moved north towards Germany.

Around 4,000 German troops have been deployed in four states, reinforcing dykes with sandbags and providing help to thousands of people forced to leave their homes.

All the signs were that the waters of the Danube were subsiding, but other rivers further north started to look more threatening.

In Saxony, the Elbe was rising to dangerous levels, as waters poured in from the Czech Republic. The latest cities to be hit include Meissen on the Elbe. Nearby Dresden is preparing for water levels 5m higher than normal. Officials in Saxony - home to both Meissen and Dresden - have warned that rivers could rise even higher than in the record floods of 2002, when both cities were devastated.