Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk was in the city of Wroclaw for a disaster meeting while residents of the town of Nysa rushed to fortify a dyke. The Elbe River in eastern Germany continued to rise slowly.

People in the town of Nysa in southwestern Poland were rushing to fortify a weakened dyke with sandbags to combat severe flooding.

The town lies in the Opole region, some 90 kilometers (56 miles) south of the major city of Wroclaw.

Local residents in Nysa joined forces with the army and the fire brigade to assist in the efforts.

“There were about 2,000 people on the dyke: women, men, children and senior citizens,” Mayor Kordian Kolbiarz told the Rmf.fm radio station, adding that people had formed a human chain to transport the sandbags.

In Wroclaw, a crisis management meeting convened with Prime Minister Donald Tusk to address the escalating situation.

Tusk said there were contradictory forecasts as to whether floodwaters would reach Wroclaw, adding that the predictions needed to be analyzed in detail.

The Polish government has declared a state of natural disaster in affected areas to streamline the enforcement of emergency measures. At least four people have died in flooding in Poland so far.