Objectives:
The flood that hit the south of Poland in 1997 was an important test for the national security system, including above all the institutions and services responsible for general security and protection of the population. The Polish Armed Forces were also involved in the flood relief operations. The aim of the publication is to analyse the involvement of the forces and resources of the Krakow Military District in the flood relief operation.

Methods:
Theoretical methods such as analysis, synthesis and inference on the basis of available sources, including legal acts, the military press (the Krakow Military District magazine Nasz Refleks) and scientific studies, were used to achieve the adopted objective.

Results:
The article succeeds in achieving its aim. The structure and tasks of the Cracow Military District were presented. The preparation of engineering and anti-chemical troops to fight against non-military threats was discussed. Then the anti-flood action of the army was shown. Finally, the activities of the engineering and anti-chemical forces were analysed.

Conclusions:
The Polish Armed Forces played a very important role in combating the effects of the 1997 floods. The action confirmed the good training and high morale of the soldiers. Engineering and anti-chemical troops performed specialised tasks. A major problem in the first days of the flood action was the chaos in the process of directing the flood action at the local level. There was also a lack of Civil Defence structures that could carry out humanitarian activities for the affected population.