Reservoir in Poland Praised for Blocking major Flooding
2024-09-25
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1A reservoir in Poland built to prevent flooding is being praised for doing its job well after major floodwaters hit the area.
2The anti-flood reservoir, called the Lower Raciborz Reservoir, sits on the Oder River.
3It is near the Polish cities of Opole and Wroclaw.
4The project was first imagined in 1997, when the "flood of the century" hit the two cities, causing major damage.
5Work was completed on the water body in 2020.
6Over the past week, heavy rains have created major floodwaters across central Europe.
7Officials in Poland have struggled to keep waters from flowing out of the Oder River into nearby communities.
8The Associated Press reported the flooding across central Europe killed at least 24 people.
9But people living in Opole and Wroclaw are now crediting the reservoir with saving the areas from severe flooding and destruction.
10Locals told the AP that the reservoir successfully flattened a huge wave created by the flooded Oder.
11Some people who remembered the 1997 flood disaster watched carefully to see whether the newly finished reservoir would effectively do its job. And it did.
12The reservoir's performance led to some public attention on social media.
13Some individuals gave the water body honorable names.
14These included "National Hero," "King of Gold" and "Raciborz Reservoir the Great."
15Other social media messages suggested the reservoir should be named after Poland's famous football goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny.
16The anti-flood reservoir was built following lessons learned from the severe flooding of 1997.
17The project took about $520 million to build.
18Part of the money came from the European Union and World Bank.
19Two villages had to be resettled to complete the reservoir.
20When it opened in 2020, the water body covered 26 square kilometers of wildland.
21It can hold up to 185 million cubic meters of floodwater.
22People living in Opole and Wroclaw said the Oder reached extreme heights.
23But, they said, the reservoir caught the floodwaters. Water never flowed out into the streets.
24Some areas not covered by the reservoir system suffered heavy flooding.
25Last week, European Union chief Ursula van der Leyen promised the EU would provide billions of dollars in aid to affected communities in Central Europe.
26Among other nations suffering severe flood destruction are Austria, the Czech Republic, Hungary and Slovakia.
27I'm Bryan Lynn.
1A reservoir in Poland built to prevent flooding is being praised for doing its job well after major floodwaters hit the area. 2The anti-flood reservoir, called the Lower Raciborz Reservoir, sits on the Oder River. It is near the Polish cities of Opole and Wroclaw. 3The project was first imagined in 1997, when the "flood of the century" hit the two cities, causing major damage. Work was completed on the water body in 2020. 4Over the past week, heavy rains have created major floodwaters across central Europe. Officials in Poland have struggled to keep waters from flowing out of the Oder River into nearby communities. The Associated Press reported the flooding across central Europe killed at least 24 people. 5But people living in Opole and Wroclaw are now crediting the reservoir with saving the areas from severe flooding and destruction. Locals told the AP that the reservoir successfully flattened a huge wave created by the flooded Oder. 6Some people who remembered the 1997 flood disaster watched carefully to see whether the newly finished reservoir would effectively do its job. And it did. 7The reservoir's performance led to some public attention on social media. Some individuals gave the water body honorable names. These included "National Hero," "King of Gold" and "Raciborz Reservoir the Great." Other social media messages suggested the reservoir should be named after Poland's famous football goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny. 8The anti-flood reservoir was built following lessons learned from the severe flooding of 1997. The project took about $520 million to build. Part of the money came from the European Union and World Bank. Two villages had to be resettled to complete the reservoir. 9When it opened in 2020, the water body covered 26 square kilometers of wildland. It can hold up to 185 million cubic meters of floodwater. 10People living in Opole and Wroclaw said the Oder reached extreme heights. But, they said, the reservoir caught the floodwaters. Water never flowed out into the streets. 11Some areas not covered by the reservoir system suffered heavy flooding. 12Last week, European Union chief Ursula van der Leyen promised the EU would provide billions of dollars in aid to affected communities in Central Europe. Among other nations suffering severe flood destruction are Austria, the Czech Republic, Hungary and Slovakia. 13I'm Bryan Lynn. 14Bryan Lynn wrote this story for VOA Learning English, based on reports from The Associated Press and Reuters. 15_____________________________________ 16Words in This Story 17reservoir - n. a large natural or manmade lake used as a source of water supply 18lesson - n. an experience that teaches you something