Floods in Hungary, latest: Orbán postpones all international trips, near-record flooding expected, levee with 1,000 tonnes of rocks – photos

In the last few hours, there have been several events related to the flooding, summarised here:

Orbán postpones all international obligations

Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said on Monday that he has postponed all of his international obligations due to the extreme weather conditions and the ongoing floods in Hungary.

He posted the announcement on the X social media platform.

Orbán had canceled his speech at the European Parliament, a visit to Vatican City later this week, and will not attend the UN General Assembly in New York. Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó will represent Hungary at the latter, he added.

Magyar: PM made the right decision to postpone the Strasbourg trip

“Accepting our recommendation, Viktor Orbán canceled his participation in the European Parliament debate in Strasbourg,” Magyar said in a statement.

“This is the right decision,” he said. “There is no place for political debates in such a serious flood situation, as it calls for total national unity.”

Near-record flood levels

Istvan Lang, the head of Hungary’s Directorate of Water Management, said the recent heavy rainfall has resulted in flood waves in the catchment areas of the Danube and Leitha rivers.

Lang said the flooding of the Leitha is expected to approach or exceed the record water levels. He added that an emergency reservoir will likely have to be opened above the northwestern town of Mosonmagyarovar. The river’s water will be released onto a 140-hectare agricultural area to ease the burden on the town.

Concerning the Danube, he said that water levels at the Szigetkoz island plain in the northwest are expected to reach near-record highs but won’t affect the populated areas. He said the Danube is expected to peak on Thursday and Friday at the Szigetkoz area at Nagybacs near Komarom-Esztergom in the north and Budapest on Saturday and Sunday.

He said the peak water level is expected to be 30-40cm below the 2013 level.

Margaret Island, Budapest. Photo: MTI

Zoltan Gora, who heads the National Disaster Management Directorate, said the operative bodies overseeing the protection efforts were now all up and running.

Levee north of Budapest to be reinforced with 1,000 tonnes of rocks

The government spokeswoman said that the levee along the Danube riverbank at Szigetmonostor, north of Budapest, will be reinforced with 1,000 tonnes of rocks.

According to the latest forecasts, the Danube will peak at Budapest at 860cm, Eszter Vitályos said on Facebook after a meeting of the Pest County defence committee, noting that the river had peaked at 891cm in the 2013 flood.

The spokeswoman said that one of the critical points in the county’s number 3 electoral district, which Vitályos represents, is the levee at the God ferry crossing at Szigetmonostor, which will be reinforced with 1,000 tonnes of rocks. She asked the disaster management authority to intervene on the lower sections of highway 11.

Catholic, Reformed, Baptist charities aiding protection efforts

Caritas Hungary

Caritas Hungary, the aid organisation of the Catholic Church, said in a statement on Monday that it is setting aside 10 million forints (EUR ) in emergency aid for the procurement of essential flood protection equipment, mitigating flood damage and supporting those in need.

The organisation is setting up a disaster base at the local parish in Nagybajcs, in north-western Hungary to coordinate the aid efforts.

It also invites donations at www.karitasz.hu and via the donor line 1356.

Hungarian Reformed Church Aid

The Hungarian Reformed Church Aid said in a statement that 30 people are assisting the flood defence work at Dunaalmás and calling on volunteers for the coming days. They will also help out in the village of Tahi, north of Budapest, from Tuesday and in the capital, if necessary. The organisation said it is launching a donation drive on donor line 1358.

Hungarian Baptist Aid

The Hungarian Baptist Aid and the HUBA Rescue24 organisation of firemen and rescue teams have also started flood defence work. The aid organisation is recruiting volunteers and organising donation drives at www.baptistasegely.hu and the donor line 1355.

Read more and the latest news about floods in Hungary here.

Read also from today:

• Highest-level flood alert in effect in Budapest
• Hungarian Defence Forces contribute 12,000 soldiers, helicopters and volunteers to flood protection, details HERE