By David W Cerny and Marek Strzelecki LIPOVA LAZNE, Czech Republic (Reuters) -One person drowned in southwest Poland and thousands were evacuated across the border in the Czech Republic as heavy rains continued to batter central Europe on Sunday,

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Massive floods pounded Central Europe on Monday, killing four more people in Poland and one in the Czech Republic.

A firefighter has died during a flood rescue in Austria, one person has died in Poland and five have died in Romania, police say.

Severe flooding across Central Europe has caused widespread damage to historic monasteries and seminaries, with over 20 deaths reported.

The extreme rainfall and flooding is the worst central and eastern Europe has seen in at least two decades, with several more people missing and there are fears it's going to get worse

Emergency responders in the Czech Republic and Poland were grappling with flooding on Saturday while Austria declared some areas disaster zones amid historic rainfall in central Europe and as forecasters warned that worse is ahead.

One person drowned in southwest Poland and thousands were evacuated across the border in the Czech Republic as heavy rains continued to batter central Europe on Sunday, causing flooding in several areas.

The first villages were evacuated in the Czech Republic and Poland, and communities in Austria have been declared disaster areas. In Romania, at least four people died in the floods after heavy rainfall. Emergency forces in the Czech Republic and Poland, along with parts of Austria, have been preparing for severe weather since Friday.

Just a week ago, before deadly floods swept through central Europe, the Czech Republic looked on track to become the first country in the region since COVID-19 to pull its budget deficit firmly below the 3% of GDP cap set by European Union rules.