Deadly floods in Europe highlight the 'dramatic consequences' of climate change.

"What you see is worse than in 1997. I don't know what will happen because my house is under water and I'm not sure if I'll ever go back there," declared one of the evacuees hit by the storm. Significant flooding in central and eastern Europe claimed at least seven lives and forced thousands of people to leave their homes over the weekend.

Storm Boris, a pressure trough, has hit the region since Thursday. Major cities saw rainfall equivalent to a month's total from Saturday to Sunday, with some areas experiencing the heaviest rainfall in 100 years.

"We are once again facing the consequences of climate change, which are becoming more pronounced on the European continent and have dramatic consequences," Romania was among the countries worst hit by the storm, with four people killed on Saturday and a fifth on Sunday. Hundreds of people had to be rescued from the rising waters. Galati, Romania was the worst affected, with the storm damaging around 5,400 homes and around 700 in the village of Slobozia Conachi.

"This is a disaster of enormous proportions"

The sixth victim claimed the life of a firefighter in Austria on Sunday who was battling floods. Authorities declared a state of emergency in Lower Austria, where Vienna is based, and nearly 5,000 rescue workers were involved in rescue operations on Saturday night.

"In Lower Austria, we are experiencing challenging and dramatic times," noted the regional governor, Johanna Mikl-Leitnerová. "For many people, these are probably the most difficult moments of their lives."

In Poland, one person drowned in the worst-hit region of Kladsko, where 1,600 people were evacuated and 17,000 were left without electricity. In another town of Stonie Slaski, floods destroyed a dam and washed away a bridge, while the river in Glucholazy overflowed its banks.

"The situation is still critical in many places. Unfortunately, these situations often recur and some residents tend to underestimate the degree of danger and refuse to evacuate."

The storm also hit Slovakia, Hungary and the Czech Republic, where some of the highest rainfall totals in the region fell and where four people are still missing. The storm forced 10,000 residents of the town of Opava to leave their homes, and Mayor Tomáš Navrátil said conditions were worse than in 1997, known as the "flood of the century".

Rain is expected to continue through at least Monday. According to the 2021 World Weather Attribution, a climate emergency has increased the likelihood of extreme flooding in Europe. The storm followed a record-breaking summer and a warm start to September, which played a role in trapping more moisture in the air. (Co2AI)