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Mr Orbán said the expected highest water level of the flood entered the territory of Hungary on Tuesday night-Wednesday morning, and from now on, it is the duty of water management experts, disaster management, the defence forces, the interior ministry and volunteers to direct the flood out of the Leitha, meaning from the country’s western terminal point to the South until it leaves Hungary in the direction of Serbia.
This is the most difficult period of the defence effort which will last for approximately a week to eight days from today, the Prime Minister stressed.
He added that according to their calculations, the maximum water level will leave the territory of Hungary at the southern border next Thursday.
The Prime Minister stressed it was good news that according to “weather fortune tellers” – which is, he added, “slowly becoming a science” – no rain is expected during the week ahead.
If we must continue the defence effort in dry weather, it means that the water level which has been identified as the maximum at the western gates of Hungary will flow through the country, he said. “Unless the fortune tellers of weather prove to be wrong and we suddenly receive a flash flood onto our necks; however, we’re not expecting this,” he observed.
He said it is also good news that after the entry of the highest water level, all flood protection facilities have stood their ground. He recalled that, according to the best of their knowledge, the currently expected maximum water level will remain below that experienced in 2013, and so there is no job, task or challenge that they have not yet coped with before.
In his view, this also determines the “character” of the defence effort, meaning that rather than preparing for unexpected and extraordinary events, they are preparing for known and expected events which they have already averted and in which they have stood their ground before.
The Prime Minister indicated that he is continually supervising the work completed by those taking part in the defence effort. “I’m wherever there is the gravest danger at any particular time ,” he said.
He highlighted that the water management personnel, soldiers, police officers, disaster management personnel and even the volunteers taking part in the defence effort are doing their jobs in an extremely calm, composed, self-assured and organised manner.
He told members of the press that there were two types of defence systems in Hungary. There are sections for which the state has direct responsibility, while there are others which come under the competence of local councils. In areas coming under state defence, the level of preparedness has reached 100 per cent. This is the situation in the case of the majority of local governments as well, there are a few settlements which have not yet reached 100 per cent, but the level of preparedness is above 50 per cent everywhere, he explained.
He added that the one of the most important points on the agenda of the Flood Protection Operational Group was how to guarantee the most optimal form for the coordination of municipal and state flood defence. This, too, will work, he stated, adding that the meeting was also attended by Mayor of Budapest Gergely Karácsony because the largest settlement with local government flood defence happens to be the capital.
By Mr Orbán’s account, the Leitha will peak on Thursday at Mosonmagyaróvár, nearing the highest water level ever recorded in history.
He said at present, there is ongoing flood defence effort on a total section of 544 kilometres on the Danube, the Leitha, the Rába and the Marcal. There is a first-degree flood alert – the lowest – on a section of 127 kilometres, there is a second-degree – medium – flood alert on a section of 192 kilometres, while a third-degree flood alert – the highest – is in effect on a section of 225 kilometres, he said, informing members of the press.
In Budapest, the river is expected to peak on Saturday afternoon or evening 40 to 50 centimetres below the water level recorded in 2013, at 846 centimetres; as expected, the embankments in Budapest could be re-opened sometime in the middle of next week.
Mr Orbán reported that in total 4,392 persons are taking part in the flood defence effort, including 1,288 water management experts, 892 of whom have been reassigned from the other side of the Danube. 1,677 soldiers are involved in the fight against the flood, and should more of them be required, every 24 hours they are able to deploy another 4,000 persons. 988 persons from disaster management are also taking part in the flood control effort as well as 312 police officers, including 200 trainee police officers. Additionally, 117 convicted inmates are also on the job; these are detainees whose participation in the flood defence effort does not convey the threat of escape or re-offending.
The Prime Minister said at the Mosonmagyaróvár section of the Danube and the Mosonmagyaróvár section of the Leitha, defence efforts are ongoing in 12 priority state-controlled locations, including raising the embankments, laying flood wraps, building temporary embankments. In these areas, the number of sand bags used currently stands at 39,335.
As regards municipal defence lines, work is under way in 31 priority locations. There, 1,421,500 sand bags have been filled so far most of which have already been used.
Approximately 500 people are working in Pilismarót, the temporary embankment is at present around 70 per cent ready, “meaning that we will have to work hard there” today and tomorrow, he said.
Some sections of main road 11 cannot be protected, and so the operational group decided to open bypass roads to substitute for the closed sections. Margaret Island is another difficult location, he said, observing that it is to be hoped that the participants of the Chess Olympiad – currently hosted by Budapest – staying on Margaret Island will not have to move from the hotel.
Metro line 2 at Batthyány tér is also a critical point. They will not be able to stop the water from seeping through, but people from water management said they will be able to divert the incoming water towards the drains, and so they will not even have to stop traffic on the metro. At the same time, they will suspend the operation of a certain section of the suburban railway line for security reasons.
Mr Orbán said in the next few days, the situation will be difficult in Dunabogdány, Tahitótfalu and Leányfalu. These are areas under municipal flood protection, and here, too, the level of preparedness is above 50 per cent; however, “we must work hard” and also need volunteers.
He indicated that sometime on Friday in Vác it will be necessary to close main road 2 at least partially. Last night in Kismaros, the necessary flood protection facilities were 60 per cent complete, “here we must push very hard” if we want to protect the buildings built on floodplains.
The situation will also be difficult in Kisoroszi, but “the people of Kisoroszi are the best-trained water management experts in Hungary,” they find themselves in a difficult situation even in medium-severe floods, and so “they know everything” and will take care of the defence work, the Prime Minister stated.
Mr Orbán said it is a major and important success that after 2013, the government implemented flood protection facilities and projects to the value of HU 435 billion. As a result of these, today further defence efforts are no longer required because the built facilities are working well and are keeping the water under control.
The Prime Minister recalled that they had implemented a development programme worth HUF 150 billion along the Danube, thanks to which in places where “in 2013 it was a close shave” – such as in Komárom – and it was uncertain whether it would be possible to protect the given bank sections, now there was no need for volunteers, sand bags, the building of temporary embankments or the raising of the embankment level.
We can see now that the construction of the Moson-Danube estuary dam was a good decision. The facility which was inaugurated in 2022 is able to exclude major floods on the Danube from the Moson-Danube branch, and this effectively protects the city of Győr. The construction of the estuary dam for the Barát stream was also important, Mr Orbán added.
Regarding tasks for the future, he highlighted that after the passage of the current flood, “we will have to hurry up” in Esztergom where we are in the process of “building a higher dam” and “reinforcing the flood protection facilities.” Additionally, as part of a programme worth HUF 40 billion, they are improving the protection of the Szigetköz fork.
In summary Mr Orbán said, “I can safely and confidently claim that Hungary will be able to do it. Hungary will do it.” According to the Prime Minister, this only has a single pre-condition, namely that “our self-confidence shouldn’t turn into excessive self-confidence” or conceit because we might then drop our guard.
In answer to a question, he said regarding flood protection facilities built after 2013 that the current flood is a quality test; it will now be revealed whether they are fit for the job which we built them for because this is the first time that they come under pressure. Based on his experiences to date, the Prime Minister believes that the situation is “more than reassuring.”
The Prime Minister asked people who would like to volunteer to contact the mayor of the given settlement or the mayor’s office before going to the site.
In answer to another question, he said according to his present schedule, he receives written reports in the morning, and then he attends the meeting of the operational group, prior to which he exchanges a few words with Interior Minister Sándor Pintér. If necessary, after the group meeting he informs members of the press. After this, he starts touring the country, visiting locations designated by the water board where local decisions may be required and where such inspections make sense. In the afternoon, the Prime Minister continues work in his office.
He observed that he usually worked around 12 to 14 hours a day, six days of the week, but now, during the flood, he was working every day of the week.
In answer to a question, Mr Orbán described cooperation between the capital and the government during the flood as satisfactory. He said in trouble things go more smoothly, “we can’t afford the luxury of pushing and shoving or acting the politician because at times like this there is water and there are people to be protected. There is water and there are dams.” There is neither room, nor any need for much political wisecracking because it does more harm than good, he said, indicating that there is cooperation according to the normal order of life.
The Prime Minister said they changed Budapest’s flood protection system during István Tarlós’s time as mayor of Budapest, and flood protection was transferred from state to municipal hands. Until the capital wants to change this, this system will remain in effect, he added. Mr Orbán said “we are doomed to cooperation,” and in the interest of the people of Budapest, they will adhere to this; both the local government and the state are aware of the weight of their responsibility and proceed accordingly.
