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CNN Live Today

Worst Flood in 200 Years Ravaging Prague

Aired August 14, 2002 - 12:47   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: The worst flood in 200 years is ravaging the eastern European city of Prague. Tens of thousands of people have been evacuated as the water continues to rise.
Joining us by telephone from Prague, CNN's Jim Boulden.

Jim, we understood that the river was supposed to crest right about now. What the situation there?

JIM BOULDEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Carol, the officials here are thinking that it may, the Vltava River, may have actually crested. We are waiting for that official comment, but if it has peaked, that would be very good news indeed, because it has been continuing to rise all day, even though Czech officials thought it was going to peak last night. It continues to rise, and as you said earlier, now at a 200- year high, putting even more buildings, more historic buildings in this lovely city under threat.

Earlier today I was walking through the Jewish quarter, now a ghost town, five blocks around the river evacuated as precaution, because the river kept rising. Now it's just police patrolling in case there's any looters. It's very eerie as you walk through the streets of this very historic city. They are completely empty other than people putting sandbags down, more and more sandbags as I think the river continues to rise.

A few hours ago, I met with some tourists from Illinois that were looking around. They've been here for about three weeks. They have been moved out of the countryside back into the city because of the threat of flooding. They are stuck in old town square. There is not much to do there. Museums, churches have been closed because of a precaution. There is not much for the tourists to do, except find high ground, look down and watch this fast-moving river.

As you said earlier, sadly, there was some news out of the zoo. They tried to move some of the animals up to higher ground. They were successful in almost all of the animals. Unfortunately, a very famous 35-year-old elephant and hippopotamus were not moved. Those animals were drowning, so unfortunately, they had to be destroyed. It's another tragic story here in a very beautiful city.

Once the water does starts to recede and they can see the physical damage that was done here along the river, they will be able to tell us how many of these historic buildings have been damaged -- Carol.

LIN: These are just such sad pictures, Jim, that we're watching on our air right now. Several people have died in these floods. I'm wondering, how it is that they got caught in the water?

BOULDEN: Several people have been washed away. Several people didn't listen to the evacuation orders when they came in. There was a very bad flood in '97 in the Czech Republic, but it didn't hit Prague. So when the floods came here, people just didn't listen to precautions. They didn't want to go to higher grounds. Unfortunately, some people have been killed by that, upwards of 10 people.

There was good news earlier today, that a man who got swept into the river was saved. There is some dramatic video of him being pulled up the river. There are police on each one of the bridges, and they are watching for anybody who might fall into the river so they can try to grab him, and this man was apparently saved -- Carol.

LIN: Right, Jim, that was one of the first pictures that we were showing people. I was going to ask you about, but I'm glad you clarified. It was a very dramatic rescue, as police were pulling him up by that bridge. The water reaching almost the top of the bridge already there.

Thank you very much.

In fact, we may get that picture up just now. There we are. This is it, Jim, that we are watching as the police, even someone repelling down into the water, to try to pull this man it safety.

Do you know who this man was?

BOULDEN: We've lost Jim Boulden, reporting live from Prague. But once again, he just told us about this dramatic rescue of a man pulled to safety there, almost just pulled a few feet, because the water is rising so quickly up that bridge.

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