20,000 Flee German Flood

More than 20,000 people were evacuated from their homes in Germany and Hungary on Monday after a dam burst on the River Elbe in Magdeburg this weekend. Although water levels appeared to be receding in Magdeburg on Monday, the situation is still considered dire enough that people can’t return to their homes. Around 700 soldiers worked to build a dam of sandbags around the power substation in the district of Rothensee. Meanwhile, 1,800 people were evacuated in Hungary, although the flood defenses in Budapest appeared to have held steady. In Warsaw, the main roadway was underwater and firefighters helped stranded motorists to safety. Eighteen people have died so far in the floods in Central Europe.