Prague prepares for the worst as waters rise

At least 88 dead across Europe

Onlookers crowd the riverbank of the swollen Vltava river in Prague on Tuesday.

PRAGUE, Czech Republic (CNN) -- Relief workers feverishly added sandbags to the protective walls on the banks of the Vltava River Tuesday as city officials ordered the evacuation of 50,000 people from a section of the capital threatened by rising water.

The flooding is the country's worst in 50 years, and Prague's worst in more than a century.

Torrential rains that also hit neighboring Germany and Austria and flooding in Russia have killed dozens of people, bringing the death toll from European storms to 88 in a week.

The number of deaths blamed on the floods in Prague and other parts of the Czech Republic during the past week has risen to eight.

Czech President Vaclav Havel cut short his vacation in Portugal and was reported to be returning to Prague to deal with the emergency.

CNN NewsPass VIDEO CNN's Wolf Blitzer and Jim Boulden report on the widespread floods endangering many of Europe's historic old cities (August 13) Play video As the water rises, officials in Prague order the evacuation of thousands of people (August 13) Play video   MORE STORIES • Eyewitness: Prague gripped by fear  • Q&A: Europe's extreme weather  • On the Scene: Russians search for flood victims    EXTRA INFORMATION Images of flooding in central and eastern Europe    YOUR SAY • Are you hit by the floods? E-mail  your stories   RESOURCES • Prague: Five-day weather forecast

The Vltava River was expected to crest in the early hours of Wednesday morning, between 1 and 7 a.m. local time (7 p.m. Tuesday to 1 a.m. Wednesday EDT).

Evacuation orders were issued for seven of the city's 10 districts, but authorities said many people were staying put.

The Jewish quarter as well as other areas in the center of Prague are expected to flood later in the day.

"The worst is still to come," ministry spokeswoman Gabrila Bartikova told The Associated Press.

Many of the Czech capital's famous medieval buildings have already been flooded and workers are fighting to save the 14th century Charles Bridge, one of the city's most popular landmarks.

The Vltava has reached a level not seen since 1890, and water levels have risen ominously toward the tops of dams.

"The city is panicking and people are buying food like crazy. No one knows what to expect," Prague office worker Monika Vegh told CNN. "Seeing people carrying suitcases and hurrying to flee the center evokes memories of scenes not witnessed since World War II.

The Czech government Monday declared a state of emergency for Prague and central and southern Bohemia, as well as for the cities of Plzen and Ceske Budejovice and the spa town of Karlovy Vary. Many roads and bridges across the Western part of the country are closed.

Homeowners and business people have joined emergency workers in desperately working to build walls of sandbags to protect properties. Soldiers and hundreds of volunteers have also been putting up defenses to protect Mala Strana, the city's picturesque medieval quarter.

The flooding is being called the worst of the century also in Austria, where thousands of people have been evacuated from the Salzburg and Upper Austria provinces. Johannes Guger, head of international relations for the Red Cross, told CNN that seven people have been killed in the floods.

Firefighters were battling to shore up weakening dykes with sandbags, but the raging Danube forced its way through dams in the town of Ybbs in Lower Austria province.

Czech officials said some residents were not taking the warning to leave seriously

More than 1,000 buildings in Salzburg are under water, Austrian radio reported.

In Russia, at least 58 people have been killed after thousands of Russian holidaymakers were struck by flood waters that damaged homes and swept cars and tents out to sea.

As many as 4,000 tourists remained trapped in Shirokaya Balka, a scenic coastal village that was devastated by the flooding, the Interfax news agency reported.

In Romania, flooding and gale force winds have killed at least seven people, including a 24-year-old woman and her baby.

A 71-year-old man drowned Monday night in Dresden, Germany, and German authorities said two other adults and a child were missing after being swept away by a cascade of mud and water.

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