Poland's fight against floods receives support from US troops nearby

U.S. soldiers worked alongside Polish troops and civilians in southwest Poland this week to fill hundreds of sandbags to contain floodwaters that have devastated the region.

About 30 soldiers from several base camps near the town of Zagan helped the Polish military as the region prepared for rising water levels, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said on Thursday.

Although the water level dropped on Friday, American personnel remained willing to return to the city and help the 25,000 residents with the reconstruction efforts.

“Emergency response is in our blood,” said Staff Sgt. Joshua Kershner of the Virginia National Guard's 529th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion. “As National Guardsmen, we go out and help our communities all the time with hurricane relief.”

The battalion, based in Virginia Beach, arrived at Camp Karliki near Zagan in March and was part of a permanent rotation of American forces to bolster security in Europe.

Parts of Poland and other central European countries were flooded this week when a slow-moving storm dumped up to five times the average September rainfall in four days, swelling rivers and overwhelming flood barriers.

At least 24 people have died in the floods so far. According to Polish media, two US soldiers were rescued by firefighters on Tuesday after they were almost swept away by the floodwaters of the Bobr River in Trzebien.

A deputy police commander told reporters that the two Americans swam about 180 meters and then held on to some trees before being brought to shore by a rescue boat.

In Zagan, also located on the river, the floods inundated bridges and some low-lying parts of the city, but spared nearby camps where hundreds of American soldiers are stationed.

Kershner said a resident told him the flooding was the worst the city had seen in nearly 20 years.

The Polish Ministry of Defense mobilized 10,000 soldiers to help combat widespread flooding, build protective walls and provide assistance.

Captain Brian Evers, also a member of the Virginia National Guard, said the Polish military called for additional help on Wednesday and within two hours American soldiers were standing next to a huge mound of sand with shovels in hand.

They spent hours filling one sandbag after another and loading them onto flatbed trucks to take them to other parts of the city or further away.

U.S. and Polish soldiers fill sandbags at Camp Karliki in Zagan, Poland, on Sept. 18, 2024. Volunteers helped protect Zagan from flooding from the Bobr River. Poland and neighboring countries have been battling flooding since record rains on Sept. 12, 2024. (Seth Porter/US Army)

U.S. and Polish soldiers fill sandbags at Camp Karliki in Zagan, Poland, on Sept. 18, 2024. Volunteer assistance during flooding in southwest Poland has been strong, and American soldiers said it was second nature to them to help. (Seth Porter/US Army)

Evers said American soldiers regularly clashed with the nearby Polish 11th Armored Cavalry Division and also with civilians, and that they had no problem volunteering their time.

“It was really like any other day,” he said.

According to spokesman Lt. Col. Charles “Kip” Patterson, several soldiers volunteered for additional work on Thursday.

The US military presence in Poland was consolidated last year with the establishment of Army Camp Kosciuszko in Poznan, the first permanent US base in the country.

Since the large-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Poland has also become a major force in the US-led NATO alliance.

U.S. Ambassador to Poland Mark Brzezinski said the cooperation between American and Polish troops in Zagan this week underscored the growing ties between the two countries.

“When we say we stand shoulder to shoulder with Poland, we mean it,” he wrote on X, formerly Twitter. “This is the true picture of solidarity and friendship between our peoples.”