2001 flood in Gdańsk
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 Flooded railway tracks in Orunia | |
 | |
| Date | 9 July 2001 |
|---|---|
| Location | Orunia-Św. Wojciech-Lipce, Śródmieście, Wrzeszcz |
| Deaths | 4 |
| Property damage | 200 million zł |
The 2001 flood in Gdańsk, also known as the flood of the century (Polish: powódź stulecia),[1] was a flood which affected the city of Gdańsk, Poland, on 9 July 2001, resulting in 4 deaths.
In July 2001, several areas in and around the drainage basin of the Vistula experienced extremely intense rain and flooding. The amounts of rain certain areas received per day often exceed monthly totals.[2]
The city of Gdańsk is found at the boundary of high- and low-lying areas, known as the Górny Taras and Dolny Taras in Polish respectively; whereas in the Górny Taras, altitudes reach upwards of 180 metres (590 ft) above sea level, in the Dolny Taras, they go down as low as 1.6 metres (5.2 ft) below sea level. These low altitudes render the Dolny Taras especially susceptible to flooding.[3]
On Monday, 9 July 2001, around 15:00, Gdańsk began experiencing intense rain. Within two hours, 90 millimetres (3.5 in) had fallen per square metre of the city; the average amount of rain it experienced per month in total was 75 millimetres (3.0 in) per square metre.[4] The Strzyża stream and Radunia Canal overflowed due to hydrotechnical equipment malfunctioning,[1] and additional damage was done by water flowing down from the Górny Taras into the low-lying areas.[5]
One of the key causes of the flood's intensity was the intense building-up of areas on the Górny Taras such as Piecki-Migowo and Ujeścisko-Łostowice since the 1980s, thus decreasing local water retention,[6] but city authorities have denied this and instead have stated that the abnormally intense nature of the flooding was undoubtedly the most significant factor.[7]
