THE GREAT FLOOD OF 1997 IN POLAND: THE TRUTH AND MYTH

摘要

In 1997 people thought that with high enough embankments, numerous water reservoirs of large capacities and weather radar, it was possible to avoid flooding and the associated damages. As understood now, it was a false perception, because the magnitude of the 1997 flood exceeded the previous ones. The Polish weather radar system consists of two stations located near Warszawa and Katowice. During the July 1997 flood, the radar near Katowice appeared to be of little help, because of lack of software and poor telecommunication infrastructure. Unfortunately, this situation has not changed for the time being. Poland needs a new system of flood protection and management. First of all, it is necessary to adopt a new law describing emergency states. Secondly, one must built as soon as possible a full meteorological radar system, which would provide warning about intensive precipitation. Thirdly, digital maps of towns and villages (eventually covering whole Poland) should be prepared and used during floods to forecast the extent of flooded areas and to guide evacuation. The last but not the least, the society as well as the media should be educated that natural disasters have no political colour. They are independent of all, and during their occurrence, the most important thing is to concentrate all the means and forces on fighting the disaster. It is better to discuss the actions taken after rather than during the rescue operation. It is much easier to determine the institutional and personal responsibilities after the operation has been completed. Fighting the flood is not a political war between different parties and social movements. Therefore, it is immoral and unethical to use this subject as a political gun. Nobody knows which government will have to pass a similar exam in crisis management in the future. Anything that was successful can be repeated during next operation, anything that was wrong can be changed after proper analysis. After all, Noah has managed to survive the Genesis Flood only because he was informed early enough to prepare the Ark. And what is even more important, he believed the messages received...