Europe Floods: Thousand Evacuate Their Homes as Heavy Flooding Rages in Central Europe (VIDEO)
At least four people dead and eight are still missing as flood waters continue to rise since Sunday across central Europe, the BBC reported.
The hardest hit are Austria, Germany and Czech Republic where emergency operations are now being carried out to provide rescue and relief to affected areas.
According to reports, at least 7,000 people in the town of Eilenburg in Germany have been evacuated from their homes since the heavy flooding over the weekend.
In Prague, more than 2,500 people have left their homes to seek higher ground. The Czech capital remains on heightened alert for fears that the rising flood water could submerge the historic region.
Public facilities have been closed including underground stations and schools as officials monitor the movement of the Vltava River in Prague.
An emergency cabinet meeting was called by Czech Prime Minister Petr Necas on Sunday to map out crisis response measures, mobilising around 1,000 troops tasked to put up metal barricades and sandbags.
"We will do everything to protect people's lives and health," PM Necas promised. He said the next two days would be critical.
The barriers that were installed after the destructive floods in 2002 are expected to hold up amid the flooding. In danger of being damaged should flood water continue to rise are the 14th century Charles Bridge and other historical landmarks.
Most main roads in Central Europe have been shut down to traffic, while rail services and electricity have been cut as a precautionary measure.
Meanwhile, Austria also experienced torrential rains for two days that authorities say are worth almost two months of rainfall.
A man was reported to have died due to landslide, while the four other people missing are believed to have been swept into the raging streams.
At least 300 people were evacuated from their homes in the towns of Salzburg and Tyrol in Austria. Restoration activities are underway with the army and civil officials clearing the roads to make them passable to traffic.
In Germany, a state of emergency has been declared in the cities of Passau and Rosenheim.
According to Passau authorities, water levels in the city could still rise as the area is located in the vicinity of three rivers in Bavaria. They say flood waters could surpass the levels recorded by the tragic floods in 2002.
Other affected areas are the towns and cities of Saxony, Thuringia and Baden-Wuerttemberg. Emergency operations are now being undertaken by the army in these localities.
Also reported are the 7,000 or so people from Eilenburg that were brought to temporary shelters.