The flood of a century: It crept up quietly, with no one paying much attention. But soon the rising water turned into a raging menace. (World).

"It was a normal, rainy day 1 in mid-August," says Krystof Bloch, 12. But that was only the beginning.

Krystof lives in the historic town of Cesky Krumlow in the Czech Republic. This medieval village, with its narrow, winding streets, is usually taken over by tourists in August. But this summer it was overtaken by a devastating flood.

Heavy rains pounded Central Europe, causing some of the worst floods in a century (map. p. 9). In the Czech Republic, 16 people were killed, and 30,000 were left homeless. The destruction may total $2.83 billion--including damage to museums, libraries, and historic buildings that date from medieval times.

Krystof will never forget how fast the floods came. "First, it just rained," he told JS. "Everything seemed normal. The watermark on the houses across the street showed the water level going up. I still wasn't worried because the river level goes up and down all the time. But at midnight, soldiers came to our house and told us to evacuate. My friends down the street ignored the warnings and had to be evacuated by raft."

Anne Urbanova, 11, was visiting a friend when the warning came. "They announced on the radio that a surge could come and wash away the bridge," she says.

After the floodwaters subsided (went down), Krystof and Anne returned home. "There was so much mud and sewage in the streets," says Anne. "It all smelled really bad. We saw a big plank floating down the river with two cats on it."

Prague Hit Hard

Two days later, floods hit Prague, the Czech capital, which sits on both banks of the Vltava River. People were not prepared.

Daisy Hessenberger, 13, was returning from a camping trip with her friends when the floods came.

"We returned along the Vltava River and saw people putting sandbags out. In the beginning, it was exciting. There were repeated warnings from the army and police. But we never thought [the river] would get to our house," Daisy told JS.

"When we awoke in the morning, spouts of water were squirting out of the basement wall. I got really scared," says Daisy, "especially when the sewers spilled over, and we couldn't even touch the water. Thousands of spiders appeared, and there was a cloud of mosquitoes everywhere. They laid their eggs in the mud. Even rats were swimming toward land."

Zoo Animals Killed

At the Prague Zoo, workers moved more than 400 animals to higher ground. Not all survived. "Kadir, an elephant, got stranded," says Daisy, "and they had to shoot it, instead of letting it drown."

Workers rescued a rhino with a crane. One seal swam more than 50 miles down the Vltava River. But the animal died from stress, exhaustion, and hunger.

People were also stranded. "There was no electricity, and no news except what got shouted to us," says Paula, Daisy's mother. "We cooked on a camping stove to the sound of bombs blasting in the river [to prevent stray ships from crashing into bridges], house alarms going off, helicopters overhead, neighbors leaving their houses, [and] the army and police with machine guns coming by in rafts."

Devastating Damage

The flood lasted only two days in Prague, but it caused untold damage. Rail lines were flooded. Streets and sidewalks buckled as if there had been an earthquake. Historic landmarks, libraries, and more than 24 subway stations in the city's metro system were also damaged. The metro is not expected to operate again until 2003.

Two months after the flood, people were still drinking bottled water. Piles of debris and garbage could be seen everywhere.

Daisy's classmate Adela Syberova, 14, lives on Kampa Island, in the heart of Prague. Many buildings there were flooded above the second-floor level.

"Our building is 400 years old and has survived many floods," says Adela. "Even though our apartment is on the second floor, and the water had receded after three days, we could not go home. There was mud everywhere, and it stunk like old rotten meat. Our basement was still flooded. There was no running water, no gas, and no electricity.

"An elderly couple on the ground floor moved their belongings up to our apartment and went to live in a convent. We stayed in a hotel for a week, then moved in with a friend.

"When we finally went home, we gave our neighbors one of our bedrooms and a bathroom. They still live with us and share our kitchen, so there are seven of us packed into the apartment.

Dresden Swamped

Floods also swamped Dresden, Germany, a major art and cultural center. As the rain streamed down last August, workers rushed thousands of valuable artworks to the safety of higher floors. But the city suffered extensive damage.

Noreen Lesske, 14, lives in a part of Dresden hit hard by the flood. She spent several days filling sandbags. "I went with friends to fill sandbags all night and woke the next morning to fill some more.

"Finally, the police came with loudspeakers, saying 'Go to a safer place, the water is rising.' They repeated this again and again, because no one wanted to leave.

"When we left our apartment, I took my pet guinea pig, Melli, with me. It sounded like a war [outside]. There was the constant drone of helicopters above and ambulance sirens day and night.

"The police closed all the streets and bridges. No one could go to work or get into the city. There was no electricity, and the local phones didn't work. By Saturday afternoon, the flood stopped rising when it had reached 31 feet."

Noreen was shocked when she went home. "Everything was stinking. At my friend's house, the water was as high as I am. She went to live in her father's office and can't go home until Christmas."

Helping Hands

Most historic sites in the cities and towns affected by the flood have now reopened. But the foundations of many buildings were weakened by flooded basements. No one knows the extent of the long-term damage.

Bombs had destroyed most of Dresden at the end of World War II. That city must now rebuild again. But some of the damage--to art, books, and museum collections--can never be repaired.

People who lived through the floods remember the aid that others gave. "People came from all over Germany and the Netherlands to help clean my area," says one survivor. "I know if this happens again, people will help."

Your Turn

* Most Americans practice fire drills, but few people prepare for floods or storms. What can you do to prepare for a water emergency?

* Discuss what happened to the teens in this story. How would you react in a similar situation?

* Tips on how to prepare: www.allstate.com/Catastrophe