Europe Under Water

After besieging historic cities and killing more than 100 people, Europe's worst floods in centuries finally began to recede earlier this week. Although much of the damage has yet to be assessed, the cost of the forthcoming restoration and cleanup operation is estimated to cost in the realm of about $20 billion. The floods caused widespread destruction and devastation in parts of Germany, the Czech Republic, Austria, Slovakia, Russia, and Romania.

The cities of Prague and Dresden were hit particularly hard. Prague, located along the River Vltava in the Czech Republic, was inundated with muddy water that covered the first and second floors in many of its medieval buildings. About 50,000 Prague residents were evacuated as workers fought to save famous city landmarks like the 14th-century Charles Bridge.

In Dresden, Germany, water levels rose to more than 30 feet. As the River Elbe swelled and cascaded through the city's streets, volunteers in the Albertinum Museum and Zwinger Palace rushed to save thousands of pieces of artwork. Destroyed by Allied bombing during World War II, Dresden had only recently completed renovations on some of its older buildings.

As thousands of evacuees return to their homes, new threats from the catastrophe are emerging. The decaying waste, food, debris, and fetid standing water that follow a flood are rife with disease, and environmental organizations in the Czech Republic and Germany are investigating possible chemical leaks from flooded plants and factories.

Fascinated with epic floods? Learn more with these books:

Noah's Flood: The New Scientific Discoveries About The Event That Changed History
By William Ryan and Walter C. Pitman
The cataclysmic flood described in the Bible is an event referred to by many ancient cultures all over the world, but did it ever really happen? Geologists and Christians have debated the actual occurrence of Noah's flood for decades, and geophysicists Ryan and Pitman set out to solve the mystery once and for all in this absorbing scientific detective story. Using convincing archaeological, linguistic, and cultural evidence, they speculate not only on how the flood may have happened, but how it may have monumentally affected the course of human history.

Floods, Famines, And Emperors: El Nino And The Fate Of Civilizations
By Brian M. Fagan
Is severe weather caused by El Nino responsible for the fall of civilizations such as the Maya and the ancient Egyptians? If so, how did other cultures like the Anasazi of the American southwest survive during the same time? Best described as a disruption of the ocean-atmosphere system in the tropical Pacific, the climatic irregularity known as El Nino last occurred in 1997. It caused disruption all across the globe, including severe droughts in the South Pacific and devastating floods in North America. In his provocative book, Fagan discusses how cultures live with aberrant weather, and the curious correlation between extreme climatic change and unusual historical events.

The Johnstown Flood
By David McCullough
In 1889, Johnstown, Pennsylvania was a booming industrial town. To celebrate their prosperity, a group of coal and steel tycoons planned an exclusive resort in the mountains above the small city. An earthen dam was sloppily rebuilt to create a lake, and despite repeated warnings, left in place. The dam burst, and a wall of water 36 feet high swept through Johnstown, killing more than 2,000 people in the worst inland flood in American history. Praised as a classic of non-fiction, McCullough's book tells the riveting story behind the tragedy with a novelist's sense of scope and pacing. The best-selling historian McCullough is also the author of books on the Brooklyn Bridge and Harry Truman.

Prague
By Arthur Phillips
A July/August Book Sense 76 pick!

"The setting is Budapest in the '90s, when locals thought far more was happening in Prague. The bars and cafes salute the Jazz Age, catering to a generation in search of riches, the past, and a culture to call their own, but not ready to face the truth. I loved this book." - Barbara Theroux, Fact & Fiction, Missoula, MT

Lonely Planet: Prague
By John King, Neil Wilson, and Richard Nebesky
The Lonely Planet series distinguishes itself from the overwhelming mob of travel books by giving up-to-date, frank, well-informed common sense advice and accurate information. If you're looking for good food, good places to stay, good sights, and a smooth experience -- whether you're on a budget or have money to burn -- there's no better travel companion than a Lonely Planet guide. Any trip to Prague, one of Europe's most lively and atmospheric cities, will be enriched with this well-written and helpful book. Better yet, travel outside of Prague with Lonely Planet's Guide To The Czech And Slovak Republics!