In the medieval Polish city of Wroclaw, rescue teams and residents were also repairing and strengthening dikes for another, weaker flood wave expected to hit Thursday.
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The second flood wave was due to hit Wroclaw, in southwest Poland, on Thursday, but officials said it would not be as dangerous as the first.
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Water levels were reported twice as high as normal or more in many places, with another flood wave on the Rhine expected Monday . ( pfg)
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On the German side of the Oder, residents and rescue workers also braced for the second flood wave, strengthening water-logged sand bags and reviewing evacuation plans.
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The flood wave continued its path along southern Germany's Danube River for a fourth day after severe rains triggered some of the worst floods in decades.
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In the Ostrava-based plant of Ostramo Vlcek, the flood wave broke barrels storing crude oil, causing 450 tons of the liquid to leak into the Oder River.
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The flood wave, which was reported to be a mile wide, will reach 34 to 36 feet at Laredo, where the river floods at 8 feet, Williams said.
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Floodwaters threatened to push further into the Semper Opera and the Zwinger painting gallery of old masters, both already hit by a first flood wave early this week.
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The flood wave was expected to crest Monday night in Warsaw, the capital, where fire engines and boats stood ready as the Vistula River's brown waters crept higher.
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The flood wave reached the height of 7 m ( 23 ft ), submerging many houses to the ceiling and drowning those who could not escape in time.
