Seventh-day Adventists in Europe are calling for prayers from their worldwide church family as they join the massive clean-up and rebuilding efforts in flood-ravaged parts of Central and Eastern Europe.

For more than 10 days, some of the worst flooding on record in Europe has destroyed houses, public buildings, roads, and bridges. More than 100,000 people have fled their homes, and an estimated 109 people are dead. Rivers, swollen by violent storms two weeks ago, have left paths of destruction in southern Russia, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Austria, and Germany. 

Adventist leaders in the region report that no church members are believed to be among those who died in the tragedy. But they say the flooding has inflicted “immense damage among Adventist families, and to church facilities.” While cautioning that it is too early to assess the full impact of the floods, leaders say they have already received many reports of property damage.

In the Czech Republic last week, several Adventist churches were flooded. The church’s publishing house in Prague, Advent-Orion, was also swept by flood waters, which destroyed more than half its stock of books, as well as a number of printing presses and computers.

Adventist church buildings in the German towns of Flöha, Olbernau, and Schneeberg are said to have sustained severe flood damage. Church members in Dresden, Pirna, Grimma, and Leising were among the many thousands of residents evacuated to safety as flood waters threatened their homes. Reports of church members who have lost houses or other property continue to flow in.

In Austria, a group of Adventist young people attending a Pathfinder camp were surprised by the floods. The 40 children were saved, but their tents, belongings and four cars were washed away.

There is a prevailing attitude of “everybody helps everybody else,” says one church official. He says that last Saturday, or Sabbath, personnel from the Adventist University at Friedensau, Germany, worked to evacuate some 90 residents of a nearby community senior citizens home. Adventists in Europe are also contributing to a special relief fund the church has set up to provide assistance for flood victims.

Pastor Ulrich Frikart, president of the Adventist Church in the Euro-Africa region, says that in spite of the tragedy, “we are trying to remain positive.” He told ANN that as the water goes down, Adventists will continue to do whatever they can to provide relief for those impacted by the floods. Frikart has requested the prayers and solidarity of Adventists around the world as the long recovery process continues.