Eighty-six people have died of hypothermia, rail traffic has come to a halt, and many roads are impassable, after the weekend's heavy snow and temperature drop across Poland, writes tabloid Fakt.

Several localities are cut off from the rest of the world, and thousands of households have no electricity, and the worst is still to come, warns the daily.

As Gazeta Wyborcza reports, Warsaw has so far forked out up to 10 mln euro for clearing roads, which is equal to the amount the city's culture budget. Meanwhile, cars in Bytom Odrzański, western Poland, have to plow through the snow as is in line with the city mayor's money-saving policy. "Why waste the money if the snow will melt anyway?" asked the official.

Yesterday's 18th Grand Finale, run by the Orchestra of Christmas Charity, has prompted thousands of Poles to join forces and help out those in need.

While celebrities offered their unusual services or possessions to the highest bidders, regular citizens did not stay behind, writes Rzeczpospolita. The female civil servants in the western city of Polkowice, for example, offered their jewelry for auction, while prisoners in Nowy Łupków, southwest Poland, offered their handmade items made of wood, wicker and paper.

"The situation in Polish clinics isn't bad," said Professor Alicja Chybicka, head of the Oncology and Hematology Clinic in Wrocław, southwest Poland. "Yet specialized equipment is entirely financed with the money raised in collections, auctions, charity balls and funds handed over by non-profit organizations," said the doctor quoted by the daily.

Poland would not be what if is if it hadn't been for EU subsidies, writes Polska Times.

The additional funds have helped construct highways, renovate roads and build cultural facilities across the country. Cities are working at full throttle trying to make the most of the opportunity. Thirty-four million euro towards the European Solidarity Center in Gdansk, 22 mln euro for the flagship sports arena in Łódź and 61 million euro towards the construction of a cutting-edge water treatment plant are just some of the examples of the employment of EU funds.

These subsidies are our shield against the crisis, said Jan Kozłowski, head of the Pomorskie province in northern Poland.