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Polish army in race to beat rising floodwater as country declares a disaster

18 September 2024, 18:24 | Updated: 18 September 2024, 20:44

In the Polish town of Zagan, there's no time to lose.

Leaks have appeared in one of the flood walls so now the army is rushing to plug them.

A line of soldiers passes sandbags to each other until they reach the damaged area and are thrown into the water below.

If they don't manage to slow the flow of the water, the raging river on the other side of the wall could break through and inundate the streets behind.

"For this town, the next 24 hours will be critical. If the water in the next 24 hours gets lower then everything will be correct," explains General Piotr Fajkowski, commander of the 11th armoured cavalry division.

For some homes, the help has already come too late.

Flood waters arrived overnight, filling cellars, rising around the town's powerplant, and submerging the local park.

Danuta's family has been told to evacuate the house.

Her children have been taken to safety, but she is staying put for now.

"I have never experienced anything like it so I'm shocked, but I hope it will be okay," she says as she stacks sandbags in front of her door.

The flooding in Poland has been classified as a disaster.

Whole communities have been left underwater.

The southern city of Wroclaw is now on high alert.

A wave is predicted to hit in the next 24 hours, so the race is on to bolster defences.

Residents rapidly fill sandbags and pile them along at-risk roads.

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Jakub watches nervously as the flood creeps closer to his flat.

"Do you think this sandbag wall will hold?" I ask.

"I don't know, I don't know. It's quite scary," he replies.

In the flooded gardens, Michal is looking for stranded pets.

From the waist-high water, he shouts that he's rescued two cats already.

Everyone is doing what they can to defend their city.

The coming hours will prove if it's enough.