Flood wave in Hungary: army also involved in the response - video, photo gallery

In Hungary, near the western border at Körmend, the river Rába has experienced a flood wave that has significantly exceeded its highest water level ever. The authorities, civilians and even the army have been called in to help.

According to VAOL, due to the sudden rainfall and the influx of water from Austria, the Water Management Directorate had to order protection measures on the section of the Rába in Körmend. As we wrote earlier, experts expected flooding at levels exceeding the highest recorded.

The regional protection committee and the emergency services launched a large-scale recruitment drive to raise the height of the protection barrier by 3000 metres. As a result, 360 people were involved on Sunday and more than 450 on Monday.

The cooperation was exemplary, with professional municipal and volunteer firefighters from Vas county and the surrounding counties, 50 members of the Győr unit of the Hungarian Defence Forces, the prison service and the NAV directorate general, the Police on Standby, the law enforcement vocational school in Körmend, the forestry, the civil guard, more than 70 employees of the government office, and complemented by civil volunteers from Körmend, successfully completed the three-kilometer dam raising in 24 hours.

It can now be seen that the river’s maximum water level is not as high as predicted, but the alert is still maintained.