Emergency crews and soldiers are working in much of central Europe today to shore up flood defences ahead of rising waters expected to peak soon.
Rivers across the region have been swelling fast due to melted snow and rain, forcing thousands to evacuate and bringing businesses to a halt.
The Czech government declared a state of emergency in seven of its 14 regions, after seven flood-related deaths were reported. Over the weekend, more than 10,000 Czechs left their homes amid heavy rains.
Unlike 2002, the ancient capital of Prague has been spared any serious damage, though it remains on high alert.
Yesterday, evening, a dam burst on the March river, which separates Austria from Slovakia, flooding the Austrian village of Duernkrut.
Roughly 200 people were evacuated from the village, of which parts were submerged in a metre of water.
With the water flowing north, the River Elbe in Germany rose further overnight, but not as quickly as had been feared. Hundreds of workers toiled around the clock checking dykes, building dams of sandbags and pumping water away.
Authorities in the eastern state of Saxony, the worst affected region in Germany, expected the flood to reach its high point tomorrow. Around 1,500 Saxony residents had been moved out, but the waters remained much lower than the catastrophic levels of 2002.
The Danube is expected to peak at around 8.60 metres tomorrow in Budapest, above the 2002 record level of 8.48.
Serbia and Romanian officials also said their countries were on high alert as the Danube level rises.