20th Anniversary: The great floods of August 2002

While Prague was hard-hit by the floods of August, 2002, the capital didn't bear the brunt of the waters that savaged the country, sweeping away homes and closing businesses. Eleven of the 13 flood-related deaths occurred outside the capital.

Approximately 220,000 people were evacuated nationwide. Railways were crippled and major roads cut off. Power supplies, as well as mobile telephone and fixed-line services, were disrupted. The Agriculture Ministry put damage caused to farms around the country at 2.5 billion Kč.

Floods ravaged a number of historic towns, including the south Bohemian Renaissance gem Česky Krumlov.

South Bohemia was perhaps the most affected by the floods. The worst-hit southern districts included České Budějovice, Plzeň, Písek and Strakonice.

The worst-hit major city was the south Bohemian capital, České Budějovice, which had battled floods since the beginning of the month. Eventually the entire city was submerged; the city center came under 1 meter (3 feet) of water. The high water forced the suspension of beer production in the city, which is the home of the original Budweiser.

Water swallowed about half the farmland in České Budějovice and Česky Krumlov destroying at least 30 percent of the crops.

In Písek, south Bohemia, the swollen Otava River swept away a statue, railing and cobbles from the 13th-century Judita stone bridge, the country's oldest. Four thousand to 5,000 people were evacuated.

The tiny municipalities of Predmíř and Metly near Strakonice, south Bohemia, were almost destroyed by floodwaters.

The deputy mayor of Terezín, site of a World War II Nazi internment camp, was almost speechless as he surveyed the floodwaters and the sweeping damage they caused. "The town simply doesn't recall a flood of these proportions," said Vít Bureš.

Looking west, flooding in the Plzeň region caused billions of crowns in damage to communications links, rivers and railways. About 4,100 people were evacuated. In the city of Plzeň, home to the Pilsner Urquell brewery, which had to suspend production, flooding submerged parts of the center, including the main square.

North Bohemia was the last stop for the destructive floodwaters. Six thousand people were evacuated from the Ústí nad Labem region as the Labe River began rising. The city of Ústí nad Labem flooded before waters pushed west to Germany, stopping in Děčin and Litoměrice on the way. About 1,600 people had to be evacuated from Děčin. Swollen waters formed a 20-kilometer-long (12-mile), 8-kilometer-wide lake between Litoměrice and Roudnice nad Labem.