Poland Floods Worse; River Bursts Bank in Warsaw

The river that runs through Poland's capital has burst its banks in one place, adding to the flooding that has already killed 12 people in the country since last weekend.

The Vistula River overflowed its banks in a nonresidential area of Warsaw and local TV footage showed emergency workers and residents erecting sandbags. For now, it is only affecting one area in Warsaw and authorities said residents were not at immediate risk.

But city officials distributed leaflets to people in high-risk areas telling them to be ready to evacuate on short notice if necessary.

Warsaw Mayor Hanna Gronkiewicz-Waltz ordered schools near the river closed Monday as a precaution. She said that although the river level is slowly falling, the city remains at risk through Tuesday.

"The threat is real," she warned. "This is a matter of life and death, and it is better that children be with their parents. This is a disaster that has already claimed 12 lives."

Many Poles in recent days have refused to evacuate their homes out of fear of looting.

The village of Swiniary, near Plock, experienced serious flooding Sunday after the Vistula burst its banks there. TV footage showed water rising almost to the roofs of some homes.

Defense Minister Bogdan Klich deployed five helicopters there to evacuate people, his spokesman Janusz Sejmej said, according to the news agency PAP. Sejmej said the army has 19 helicopters total in evacuations across the country.

In the western city of Wroclaw, most of one neighborhood, Kozanow, was covered by water after the Oder River broke its banks in two places Saturday. There, waters rose more than a yard around multistory apartment buildings.