Reverend Joseph E. Kurtz, D.D. Bishop | Archdiocese of Louisville

Throughout the week of September 15-21, significant attention was focused on the Oder River in western Poland. Efforts were underway to protect major cities along its path from severe flooding. However, it was the smaller mountain rivers—Nysa Klodzka, Biala Ladecka, Bóbr, and Morawka—that caused extensive damage to the tourist region in southwestern Poland following torrential rain from Storm Boris between September 13-15.

As Poland faced what many considered the worst catastrophe since the "flood of the millennium" in 1997, volunteers and aid poured into the affected areas. Catholic charities provided supplies and financial assistance to help those who lost everything. Satellite data estimates suggest that around 20,000 buildings may have been damaged.

“It wasn’t a flood; it was a tsunami,” residents told OSV News on September 21 as they assessed damage to their homes. The most significant damage occurred when a century-old dam in Stronie Slaskie burst under pressure from the floodwaters on September 15.

Stronie Slaskie, Ladek Zdrój, and surrounding villages were inundated by approximately 53 million cubic feet of water. Due to power outages in many areas for two days prior, information about the impending disaster did not reach everyone.

“Some people believed this dam more than the Lord God,” one resident said anonymously to OSV News.

Despite losing their possessions, many residents expressed gratitude for their survival. Natalia, a mother of two who only gave her first name, described fleeing with her children to higher ground when water reached their home after the dam broke. “Although the first floor was flooded... we have a house ... and thank God we are alive,” she said.

Father Krzysztof Pelech from St. Nicholas Parish in Radochów recounted his experience: “I have never seen something like this in my life.” He described hearing an inconceivable noise followed by seeing cars being swept away by floodwaters.

Efforts to provide relief are ongoing. Caritas Poland has purchased essential items such as generators and dehumidifiers for those affected. "Fundraisers and relief efforts cannot stop," Marcin Majewski of Caritas Poland emphasized.

Reaching flooded villages remains challenging due to broken bridges and damaged roads. Nonetheless, volunteers continue to arrive from across Poland to assist with recovery efforts.

“We can’t stay in warm homes when people have lost everything; we have to move and help,” Father Jakub Deperas stated as he led groups of young volunteers from Wroclaw into Radochów on September 21.

Polish television star Tomasz Wolny also joined relief efforts with Franciscan brothers and clerics. He noted on social media that heavy equipment is now being used for cleanup operations in Ladek Zdrój: “Help will be needed for weeks to come.”