[00:00.00]A reservoir in Poland built to prevent flooding is being praised for doing its job well after major floodwaters hit the area.
[00:13.14]The anti-flood reservoir, called the Lower Raciborz Reservoir, sits on the Oder River.
[00:22.94]It is near the Polish cities of Opole and Wroclaw.
[00:28.71]The project was first imagined in 1997, when the "flood of the century" hit the two cities, causing major damage.
[00:41.17]Work was completed on the water body in 2020.
[00:46.76]Over the past week, heavy rains have created major floodwaters across central Europe.
[00:55.27]Officials in Poland have struggled to keep waters from flowing out of the Oder River into nearby communities.
[01:05.73]The Associated Press reported the flooding across central Europe killed at least 24 people.
[01:14.48]But people living in Opole and Wroclaw are now crediting the reservoir with saving the areas from severe flooding and destruction.
[01:28.38]Locals told the AP that the reservoir successfully flattened a huge wave created by the flooded Oder.
[01:38.22]Some people who remembered the 1997 flood disaster watched carefully to see whether the newly finished reservoir would effectively do its job. And it did.
[01:54.43]The reservoir's performance led to some public attention on social media.
[02:01.06]Some individuals gave the water body honorable names.
[02:06.15]These included "National Hero," "King of Gold" and "Raciborz Reservoir the Great."
[02:14.61]Other social media messages suggested the reservoir should be named after Poland's famous football goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny.
[02:26.99]The anti-flood reservoir was built following lessons learned from the severe flooding of 1997.
[02:36.68]The project took about $520 million to build.
[02:42.64]Part of the money came from the European Union and World Bank.
[02:48.74]Two villages had to be resettled to complete the reservoir.
[02:53.62]When it opened in 2020, the water body covered 26 square kilometers of wildland.
[03:02.91]It can hold up to 185 million cubic meters of floodwater.
[03:10.62]People living in Opole and Wroclaw said the Oder reached extreme heights.
[03:18.96]But, they said, the reservoir caught the floodwaters. Water never flowed out into the streets.
[03:27.89]Some areas not covered by the reservoir system suffered heavy flooding.
[03:34.35]Last week, European Union chief Ursula van der Leyen promised the EU would provide billions of dollars in aid to affected communities in Central Europe.
[03:49.21]Among other nations suffering severe flood destruction are Austria, the Czech Republic, Hungary and Slovakia.
[04:01.40]I'm Bryan Lynn.
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Words in This Story
reservoir - n. a large natural or manmade lake used as a source of water supply
lesson - n. an experience that teaches you something
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