Dangerous Ice Jams on the Wkra and Vistula Rivers: Emergency Services on High Alert

The hydrological situation in Poland has deteriorated rapidly due to sudden warming and the movement of ice cover on rivers. The most critical situation occurred in Masovia, where the Wkra River exceeded its alarm level, causing flooding in the town of Błędowo and surrounding villages. An ice jam led to a surge of water that flooded at least 24 properties, forcing the immediate intervention of the State Fire Service and the convening of a crisis staff. Technical services even considered using explosives to break up the ice, but the priority remains the work of icebreakers operating on the Vistula, whose task is to clear the riverbed and prevent further surges near the most important hydrotechnical facilities. Ice-jam floods are among the most dangerous hydrological phenomena in Poland, as they form suddenly and are difficult to predict. The largest such disaster in the country's history occurred in 1982 in the Płock region, when an ice jam on the Vistula led to the flooding of a significant part of the city and forced the evacuation of thousands of residents. Simultaneously with the problems in Masovia, warnings from the IMGW have covered the Pomeranian and Warmian-Masurian voivodeships. In the Słupsk county, an increase in interventions related to the thaw and local flooding of basements and access roads has been recorded. The highest level of threat (red alert) has been declared for the Mławka River, indicating a real risk of extensive overflows beyond the main channel. The Minister of the Interior and Administration, Marcin Kierwiński, informed that the situation is being constantly monitored and state forces and resources have been directed to the most threatened regions. The hydrological crisis has also affected France, where the process of décrues (water recession) is progressing slowly. The French Minister of the Interior and the prefect Laurent Nuñez announced that as many as 270 new local government units have applied for natural disaster status. Three departments remain under an orange alert, and residents of towns such as Saintes and Ponts-de-Cé are dealing with the aftermath of flooding. French services are also mobilizing for operations to rescue domestic and farm animals lost during the peak of the flood wave.