Cities in Central Europe reinforce riverbanks ahead of more flooding

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Soldiers and firefighters used sandbags to reinforce river embankments and delivered food and drinking water to cut-off communities as the worst flooding in years moved Tuesday across a broad swath of Central Europe, taking lives and destroying homes.

Heavy flooding has affected a large part of the region in recent days, including the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Austria. Around 20 deaths were reported in the flooding, which followed heavy rainfall but the full human cost was still not clear. Casualties have been reported in Romania, Austria, the Czech Republic and Poland.

In some areas, the waters were receding, leaving behind mounds of debris. As reports of looting came in, government and military authorities vowed to crack down on perpetrators. Gen. Wiesław Kukuła, Chief of the General Staff of the Polish Army, said the military was deploying soldiers equipped with night vision and thermal imaging devices to support the police in areas where people had to leave for higher ground.

“Looters, night and lack of electricity will no longer be your ally,” he tweeted late Monday.

Other places braced for the worst yet to come, including two Central European gems: Budapest, the Hungarian capital on the Danube River, and Wroclaw, a city in southwestern Poland on the Oder River which boasts a Gothic cathedral and other historic landmarks.

Hungary deployed soldiers to reinforce barriers along the Danube as thousands of volunteers filled sandbags in dozens of riverside settlements.

In Budapest, authorities closed the lower quays, which were expected to be breached by rising waters. The lower half of the city’s iconic Margaret Island was also closed.

In Wroclaw, firefighters and soldiers worked through the night to reinforce river embankments with sandbags. The city zoo, located on the Oder, appealed for volunteers to fill sandbags on Tuesday morning.

“We and our animals will be extremely grateful for your help,” the zoo said.

The city said it expected the flood wave to peak there around Friday, though some had predicted that would happen sooner. Poland's Prime Minister Donald Tusk met with a crisis team early Tuesday and said there are contradictory forecasts from meteorologists.

Tusk's government has declared a state of natural disaster across southern Poland.

To the south of Wroclaw, residents spent the night fighting to save Nysa, a town of 44,000 people, after the Nysa Klodzka River broke its banks the day before. Mayor Kordian Kolbiarz said 2,000 “women, men, children, the elderly” came out to try to save their town from the rising waters, forming a human chain that passed sandbags to the river bank.

“We simply … did everything we could," Kolbiarz wrote on Facebook. "This chain of people fighting for our Nysa was incredible. Thank you. We fought for Nysa. Our home. Our families. Our future.”

Later on Tuesday, authorities in Nysa said the city center had been saved from the flooding.

In Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia, the deputy mayor for the environment, Jakub Mrva, said the level of the Danube had peaked and would slowly decrease. He said that mobile barriers had saved the historic center, but that there was still damage, including to tram lines.

“We also observed major damage at the zoo, which is flooded, and there is relatively high damage in the city forests of Bratislava, where many trees have perished,” Mrva told The Associated Press in an interview, speaking next to the flooded banks of the Danube.

In the Czech Republic, waters have been receding in the two hardest-hit northeast regions. The government approved the deployment of 2,000 troops to help with clean-up efforts. The damage is expected to reach billions of euros.

The Czech government also scrambled to help local authorities organize regional elections on Friday and Saturday as several schools and other buildings serving as polling stations were badly damaged. However, a planned evacuation of some 1,000 in the town of Veseli nad Luznici could be postponed as the waters had not reached critical levels so far.

Associated Press journalists Justin Spike in Budapest, Hungary, Karel Janicek in Prague, and Tomas Hrivnak in Bratislava, Slovakia, contributed to this report.

An aerial view of a flooded neighbourhood in Bohumin, Czech Republic, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic)

An aerial picture taken with a drone shows the flooded resort village of Venek and the swollen Danube River near Gyor, Hungary, Tuesday, September 17, 2024. (Gergely Janossy/MTI via AP)

An aerial picture taken with a drone shows the flooded resort village of Venek and the swollen Danube River near Gyor, Hungary, Tuesday, September 17, 2024. (Gergely Janossy/MTI via AP)

A man riding a bicycle is reflected in water infiltrated through anti-flood barriers on the banks of the River Danube, in Bratislava, Slovakia, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Tomas Hrivnak)

Geese stand on an outdoor table in a flooded neighbourhood in Ostrava, Czech Republic, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic)

A view of flooded sports club in Plav, Czech Republic, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Stanislav Hodina)

Zuzana Kublova's family home is flooded, in Bohumin, Czech Republic, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic)

People take photos of rising waters on the banks of the River Danube, in Bratislava, Slovakia, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Tomas Hrivnak)

Zuzana Kublova wades through her flooded family home, in Bohumin, Czech Republic, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic)

Residents paddle through a flooded street in Bohumin, Czech Republic, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic)

An aerial picture taken with a drone shows the flooded resort village of Venek and the swollen Danube River near Gyor, Hungary, Tuesday, September 17, 2024. (Gergely Janossy/MTI via AP)

Soldiers who help strengthen the embankments and to prevent floodings walk by sandbags near the city of Wroclaw, southwestern Poland, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Krzysztof Zatycki)

This handout photo provided by the Polish fire department, shows firefighters removing piles of debris dumped in the streets by high flood wave that is passing through southwestern Poland, in Glucholazy, Poland, on Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024. ( Marcin Muskala/KG PSP via AP)

This handout photo provided by the Polish fire department, shows firefighters removing piles of debris dumped in the streets by high flood wave that is passing through southwestern Poland, in Glucholazy, Poland, on Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024. ( Marcin Muskala/KG PSP via AP)

This handout photo provided by the Polish fire department, shows firefighters removing piles of debris dumped in the streets by high flood wave that is passing through southwestern Poland, in Glucholazy, Poland, on Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024. ( Marcin Muskala/KG PSP via AP)

This handout photo provided by the Polish fire department, shows firefighters removing piles of debris dumped in the streets by high flood wave that is passing through southwestern Poland, in Glucholazy, Poland, on Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024. ( Marcin Muskala/KG PSP via AP)

Firemen deliver aid to residents whose homes are flooded in Bohumin, Czech Republic, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic)

Soldiers fill and arrange sandbags to help strengthen the embankments and to prevent flooding near the city of Wroclaw, southwestern Poland, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Krzysztof Zatycki)

This handout photo provided by the Polish fire department, shows firefighters removing piles of debris dumped in the streets by high flood wave that is passing through southwestern Poland, in Glucholazy, Poland, on Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024. ( Marcin Muskala/KG PSP via AP)

A cyclist pushes his bicycle through a flooded street in Bohumin, Czech Republic, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic)

Residents paddle through a flooded street in Bohumin, Czech Republic, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic)

A resident carries his bicycle as others paddle through a flooded street in Bohumin, Czech Republic, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic)

A resident paddles through a flooded street in Bohumin, Czech Republic, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic)

Residents use sandbags to strengthen the embankment of the Oder River on its way to Wroclaw, southwestern Poland, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Krzysztof Zatycki)

View of the Bratislava castle as the water level of the Danube river rises during recent floods in Slovakia, Monday, Sept. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Tomas Hrivnak)

This handout photo provided by the Polish fire department, shows a flooded area near the Nysa Klodzka river in Nysa, Poland on Monday, Sept. 16, 2024. (KG PSP Photo via AP)

The Elbe floods against the backdrop of the old town at dawn Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024, in Saxony, Dresden, Germany. (Sebastian Kahnert/dpa via AP)

People fill sandbags to reinforce the dam due to the flooding of the Danube river at Tahitotfalu, Hungary, on Monday, Sept. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Denes Erdos)

A fireman and residents look at flooding waters in Ostrava, Czech Republic, Monday, Sept. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic)

Vehicles are partially covered by water during floods in Ostrava, Czech Republic, Monday, Sept. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic)

An aerial view of a flooded neighbourhood in Ostrava, Czech Republic, Monday, Sept. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic)

This handout photo provided by the Polish fire department, shows a flooded area near the Nysa Klodzka river in Nysa, Poland on Monday, Sept. 16, 2024. (KG PSP Photo via AP)

This handout photo provided by the Polish fire department, shows a flooded area near the Nysa Klodzka river in Nysa, Poland on Monday, Sept. 16, 2024. (KG PSP Photo via AP)

ATLANTA (AP) — Another big Atlanta crowd finally got a chance to see Lionel Messi in an MLS match.

They nearly watched United pull out a much-needed win over league-leading Inter Miami.

Alexey Miranchuk scored with a booming shot in the 84th minute and the home team pressed hard for the winning goal in stoppage time, only to settle for a 2-2 tie with Messi's Miami club before an announced crowd of 67,795 on Wednesday night.

After making a triumphant return to the Miami lineup with two goals and an assist last weekend, Messi started this game on the bench. Coach Gerardo Martino wanted to manage the minutes of his 37-year-old Argentine star, who is coming back from national team duties and an ankle injury with the club in the midst of a busy stretch.

Messi trotted on the field in the 61st to a big roar, shortly after Leo Campana scored off a deflected free kick to put the Herons in front. But the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner couldn't find the net in his limited time on the field, drawing plenty of attention from the United defenders.

“You've gotta keep an eye on him,” Atlanta keeper Brad Guzan said with a wry smile.

In June, Messi made an Atlanta appearance for Argentina in the opening game of the Copa America. But he didn’t play a year ago when Miami visited Atlanta, disappointing a crowd of 71,635.

He made the trip this time around, thrilling the crowd simply by warming up with three teammates shortly into the second half. Fans in the lower deck whipped out their phones and began snapping pictures.

Miami moved to 19-4-6 for 63 points with five matches remaining in the regular season. The Herons are eight points ahead of Cincinnati and LA Galaxy in the race for the Supporters' Shield and home-field advantage throughout the MLS playoffs.

Messi showed flashes. most notably with a point-blank shot that was swatted away by Guzan. Luis Suárez, who also came off the bench, collected the rebound with an open goal in front of him, only to be blocked at the line by Atlanta defender Pedro Amador.

In stoppage time, Messi dribbled around three players in the penalty area but failed to get off a shot. Finally, he threw up his arms in frustration when a pass was intercepted by Atlanta.

“Whoever plays, we try to support each other,” Miami defender Franco Negri said through a translator. “We know what Leo means, the importance he has.”

Martino was suspended for the match due to an accumulation of staff cautions, leaving assistant coach Javier Morales to run the team.

“I think we had a good performance,” Morales said. “But of course, Atlanta is at home. They're going to push. They had a big crowd, and this was the kind of game we were expecting.”

With the home team trailing 2-1, Miranchuk unleashed a left-footed shot from 20 meters out that found the top left corner of the goal.

United had been waiting for a moment like this from the Russian player who joined the club during the summer transfer window for reported $13 million fee, one of the highest ever for an incoming player to MLS. It was his first goal in four league matches.

“There’s not many goalkeepers in the world that are gonna save that one,” Guzan said. “That’s a glimpse of his quality and what he can do with the ball at his feet. We're trying to encourage him to do that more often.”

Both teams pressed forward in the closing minutes, with Atlanta creating the bulk of the chances, but neither could break through.

It was a discouraging result for Atlanta, which is 11th in the Eastern Conference and one point of out a playoff berth.

“We need three points,” Guzan said. “You have as many chances as we had, we should be coming away with three points.”

Miami grabbed the lead on David Ruiz’s goal in the 29th off another deflection. Negri’s pass hit someone just outside the area, somehow got through three other players and wound up going right to Ruiz, who was all alone between two Atlanta defenders and slid the shot past Guzan.

United tied it in the 56th when Saba Lobjanidze’s header slipped between the legs of Miami keeper Drake Callender.

Campana put the Herons ahead with a free kick that was intended for the right corner of the Atlanta goal. But the ball deflected off Dax McCarty and ricocheted into the net on the left side. Guzan, diving the other way, never had a chance.

Two minutes later, Messi came on for Julian Gressel.

UP NEXT

Inter Miami: Faces New York City FC at Yankee Stadium on Saturday.

Atlanta United: Travels to New York Red Bulls on Saturday.

AP MLS: https://apnews.com/hub/major-league-soccer

Inter Miami forward Lionel Messi (10) works in front of Atlanta United midfielder Ajani Fortune (35) during the second half of a MLS soccer match Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)

Inter Miami forward Lionel Messi (10) works in front of Atlanta United midfielder Ajani Fortune (35) during the second half of a MLS soccer match Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)

Inter Miami forward Lionel Messi controls the ball during the second half of a MLS soccer match against Atlanta United Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)

Inter Miami forward Lionel Messi talks to a teammate during the second half of a MLS soccer match against Atlanta United Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)

Inter Miami defender Serhiy Kryvtsov (27) and Atlanta United forward Daniel Ríos (19) battle for the ball during thre first half of a MLS soccer match Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)

Atlanta United defender Derrick Williams (3) and Inter Miami forward Leonardo Campana (8) chase the ball during thre first half of a MLS soccer match Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)

Atlanta United defender Stian Gregersen (5) and Inter Miami forward Leonardo Campana (8) battle for the ball during thre first half of a MLS soccer match Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)

Inter Miami forward Lionel Messi leaves the pitch after during a MLS soccer match against Atlanta United Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)

Inter Miami forward Lionel Messi controls the ball during the second half of a MLS soccer match against Atlanta United Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)

Inter Miami forward Lionel Messi (10), right, and Atlanta United defender Derrick Williams (3) battle for control of the ball during the second half of a MLS soccer match Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)