Central European countries have suffered enormous damage to infrastructure and housing during the current flooding that has claimed 24 lives in the region. European Union chief Ursula von der Leyen on Thursday pledged billions of euros for flood recovery.

The European Union will make billions of euros available to help central Europe recover from severe floods, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Thursday, as she pledged support for regions that have been devastated by the deluge.

Soldiers and residents in southwestern Poland are laying sandbags near swollen rivers around the city of Wroclaw to protect homes and businesses after days of flooding across Central Europe.