From the Deník archive: On August 9, 2002, floods from the south arrived in Prague
Water threatened Prague. On August 9, 2002, this headline appeared in Večerník Praha, which is the successor of Pražský deník. See what was written about the floods that day.
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Devastating flood in 2002, Klecany Small Hydropower Plant.
| Photo: Courtesy of the Vltava Basin
“Will only five years’ worth of water come, as the water managers promised, or will the Vltava surprise us?” asked the editors in the edition that mapped the first wave of devastating floods. At that time, the Vltava reached a flow rate of 1,500 cubic meters per second. Nevertheless, this wave was not so destructive in the end, the answer to the question came with much greater force a few days later, when the flow reached over 5000 cubic meters per second.
Večerník Prague, August 9, 2002.Večerník Prague, August 9, 2002.
“The water should not spill into the streets,” reported the Vltava River Basin dispatch center at the time. The cinematograph of the Čadík brothers was evacuated from Strelecky Island, which was partially underwater, and 300 firefighters were on standby.
Memories of the flood in 2002: Refrigerators and doghouses flew over Orlík
Infobox:
The first wave of flooding
August 9
The rains in the south of Bohemia have stopped and the water has receded. The Vltava reached a flow rate of 1500 m³/s (3 SPA) and began to decline.
10th of August
The first wave of flooding has ended and a major clean-up and damage assessment has begun, but they warned of more sustained rainfall. The Vltava in Prague has dropped to the second level of flood activity.
August 11th
In the afternoon, it began to rain heavily in the south of Bohemia, the water managers released the dams, but promised that the Vltava in Prague would not reach the first wave of flooding.
The second wave of flooding
Aug. 12
the second wave is expected to be much stronger than the first.
August 13
Electricity supply was interrupted in the historic center of Prague. The Velká Chuchle racecourse was completely flooded.
August 14th
The Vltava in Prague reached a flow rate of 5160 m3/s at 12 o’clock in Velká Chuchla at a water level of 782 cm, Karlín and the Prague metro were flooded.