By Nick Thorpe BBC correspondent, Bratislava

In Slovakia, floodwaters in the River Danube reached almost 10 metres deep in Bratislava - a 50-year high - but the city's flood defences held.

The town of Devin just to the west of Bratislava remains cut off by the waters of the Danube.

There is only one way to reach Devin: by army truck, driving along the flooded road beside the Danube.

At the worst moment of these floods, about half the town lost electricity

In the truck with us are townspeople who were evacuated earlier and are either coming back now to inspect the damage to their homes or bringing food supplies to those who stayed behind.

Devin lies at the confluence of the Morava and Danube Rivers, and the Danube waters were so high at one point that they actually began flowing upstream on the River Morava.

The swollen waters of the Morava here are a calm olive green - a stark contrast to the raging brown torrent of the Danube.

At the worst moment of these floods, about half the town lost electricity, and houses in low-lying districts are still under water.

Frantic efforts

Some people are still in emergency accommodation in the cultural centre in the town.

The waters are now falling by several centimetres an hour, but the danger is not completely passed.

Earlier on Friday, a sudden heavy rainstorm reminded everyone of the kind of weather conditions which caused the flooding in the first place.

And as the people of Slovakia breathe a cautious sigh of relief, downriver in Hungary there are frantic efforts under way to reinforce the flood defences of Budapest and of the towns and villages further upstream.

The main flood wave is expected to reach the Hungarian capital on Sunday.