The 1997 Central European flood or the 1997 Oder Flood of the Oder and Morava river basins in July 1997 affected Poland, the Czech Republic and Germany, taking the lives of 114 people and causing material damages estimated at $4.5 billion (3.8 billion euros in the Czech Republic and Poland and 330 million euros in Germany).

[2][5] The precipitation was caused by a Genoa low pressure system, which moved from northern Italy to Moravia and Poland.

[2] In Poland, the first settlements flooded were located around Prudnik and Głuchołazy,[8] and were visited by Polish Prime Minister Włodzimierz Cimoszewicz on 7 July.

In Kłodzko several buildings dating back a few hundred years (kamienica) collapsed; on 8 July the flood reached Krapkowice.

[9] Water levels recorded on the Oder river in the flood period:[10] The flood caused the deaths of 114 people (56 in Poland,[11][12] 50 in the Czech Republic[13]) and material damages estimated at $4.5 billion[14] (3.8 billion euros in the Czech Republic and Poland and 330 million euros in Germany).

[4] The flood revealed various inadequacies in decision making and infrastructure, although the unprecedented magnitude of the disaster was seen by some as a mitigating factor.

[18] In the wake of the floods in 1997, Polish rock band Hey released the song Moja i twoja nadzieja ("My and Your Hope").

[19] Hey also brought together a group of the most prominent Polish singers at the time to record a cover of the song (known as the "'97 version") for charity-.

Also in 1997, Hey released the album Cegiełka na rzecz ofiar powodzi [pl] ("A Brick for Flood Victims"), containing five versions of the song - Hey's original single, the '97 version, an instrumental cover, an acoustic cover, and a jazz interpretation (by Anna Maria Jopek).