Gas network operators: Catastrophic floods in the Czech Jeseník region destroyed 210 kilometers of pipelines

Catastrophic floods in the Jeseník region have put 210 kilometers of pipelines out of service, according to gas network operators. An emergency situation currently affects the nine hardest-hit municipalities, and reconnecting them to the gas network could take several weeks, GasNet spokesperson Tomáš Pernis told the Czech News Agency (ČTK) today. The worst-affected places include Jeseník, part of Žulová, Česká Ves, Písečná, Bělá pod Pradědem, Vápenná, Mikulovice, Lipová-lázně and Ramzová. However, gas supplies have been restored to Jeseník Hospital and the Social Services Centre. The state plans to provide alternative solutions in the affected areas.

The Jeseník region is the worst-affected area in the Czech Republic, according to the gas network operators, and teams of technicians from across the country have been deployed there. Water tore pipelines out of the ground, rivers swept away above-ground crossings, and some pipelines are flooded. Due to the exceptionally severe damage to the local gas network, supplies are being restored gradually, depending on the level of damage in each location. Pernis said the work is significantly hampered by factors such as the condition of the ground and roads that are often completely devastated, making it impossible to safely lay new pipelines there for now. Repairs often also involve the technically demanding task of pumping water out of flooded pipelines. „We currently estimate that repairs in the worst-affected areas could take several weeks,“ the company spokesperson added.

According to him, restoring the network in the city of Jeseník will be the most complicated. „Compared with smaller municipalities, it has a very extensive network with numerous branch lines and different types of customers, from households to industrial companies. We have therefore divided the city into four sectors for the medium-pressure network and eight sections for the low-pressure network. We will gradually bring the city back into service, one of these areas at a time,“ Pernis said.

Despite the challenging conditions in the field, gas workers have managed to restore supplies to Jeseník Hospital and the spa in Dolní Lipová, for example. Gas is also back in Jindřichov and Nové Losiny. Nearly half of customer connections in Vápenná are operational, along with a third in Písečná and dozens in Lipová-lázně, Pernis added. The Jeseník Social Services Centre has also been reconnected, allowing it to provide heat and hot water to its clients after ten days. „We didn’t expect it to happen so quickly. The gas workers themselves said they were shocked when they saw the damage and what the water had done, and that restoration would be difficult,“ the centre’s director, Jan Rotter, told the Czech News Agency today. He said the centre had already been preparing to install portable electric heaters because the building needed to be heated. „This has helped us enormously, especially in caring for clients with disabilities. We also had to make complicated arrangements to provide hot water in part of the building. Having the gas back is a big deal. We are very grateful to the gas workers; it’s a relief,“ he added.

By contrast, the situation in Bělá pod Pradědem is complicated: the river has completely exposed utility networks that were originally laid beneath the roads. „In many places, our local roads have become waterways, and the networks are completely exposed. The gas workers have already mapped the entire section in Bělá, and they are working to secure the exposed parts so that they can be used safely. It’s September, and most residents rely on gas to heat their homes; everyone understands that,“ the municipality’s mayor, Radomír Neugebauer, told the Czech News Agency.

Environment Minister Petr Hladík (KDU-ČSL) said today that thousands of household and business customers in the flood-damaged Jeseník region will be without gas this winter. The state will help provide alternative solutions in the affected areas, he said. Options include temporary gas supplies or greater use of portable electric heaters for space heating.