Storm low “Ylenia” reached Berlin early Thursday morning. Due to the severe weather conditions, trees were uprooted and long-distance rail traffic had to be stopped in several federal states. In Berlin, the fire brigade declared a state of emergency twice. Two people were slightly injured.
Stormy Thursday for Berlin and Brandenburg!
As early as 2 a.m., the fire brigade began to move out to weather-related operations. Between 2.30 a.m. and 4.30 a.m. the rescuers then called the state of emergency. A state of emergency means that so many alarm calls are received that they can no longer be processed one after the other as usual, and other priorities are set.
In the morning, after a brief respite, the storm picked up speed again. Around 9 a.m., the fire department went into the state of emergency again. By midnight, the fire brigade had received 1,366 weather-related calls. By midday, most of the damage had been fallen trees or loose components.
► Because of the storm, an approximately 15-meter-high lighting mast from the former Tempelhof Airport collapsed on Tempelhofer Damm and lay in the tracks of the S-Bahn. On the Ringbahn, S-Bahn traffic between Hermannstrasse and Südkreuz was temporarily interrupted, and the A100 exit at Tempelhof was also closed. Whether the mast will be put back in place is unclear. The masts are under monument protection.
► According to initial findings, two people were slightly injured by falling branches. The fire brigade also warned against leaving the house for the rest of Thursday.
► In the morning, a “boat” broke loose on the Spree, the Berlin police tweeted. It ultimately collided with pushed barges. The water police, together with the Spree-Havel Waterways and Shipping Office, were in the process of recovering and securing the vehicle.
► The Ostpreußendamm in Lichterfelde was blocked at Bahnhofstraße, the traffic information center announced. Here trees had fallen and become wedged. The cleanup should last until mid-morning.
► Early Thursday morning crashed in the Schillerstrasse in Lichtenrade a massive roadside tree hit two vehicles, damaging two other cars.
► In the Ringstrasse in Lichterfelde a large fir tree fell down and damaged a car and a lantern.
► In Lankwitz, two roofs of residential buildings were covered in the early evening. The fire brigade had to secure 1500 square meters on one roof and 1000 square meters on a second roof in the Langkofelweg. In a tenant parking lot, several vehicles were damaged by the massive roofing felt and parts of the roof.
The Berlin fire brigade ended the state of emergency weather at 11:59 p.m.
Union Berlin mourns the Christmas tree
A fir tree more than 20 meters high right in front of the Ironworks office in Köpenick snapped in the morning during a violent gust of wind.
“The tree is gone. We are all very sad,” said head of communications Christian Arbeit at the Iron Party’s press conference before the Bundesliga game at Arminia Bielefeld. However, no further damage was caused. Before Christmas, the imposing tree was always festively decorated with red balls. Many fans mourned the incident on social networks.
It was still unclear on Thursday whether 1. FC Union would have to face further obstacles due to the stormy weather conditions. The plan is to travel by train to Bielefeld on Friday. “If there are no trees on the tracks,” said Arbeit.
Deutsche Bahn stops long-distance traffic in Berlin and Brandenburg
Early in the morning, Deutsche Bahn stopped long-distance ICE and IC trains in several federal states in the north and north-east, including Berlin and Brandenburg. There were also cancellations and delays in regional traffic.
The damage was “considerable,” said a railway spokesman in the morning. “At the moment, repair crews from the railway are on the move at full speed to clear routes, cut trees with chainsaws or repair overhead lines, which is not easy in these weather conditions.”
The spokesman said there would also be problems with the second expected storm front on Friday evening. “I’m afraid our travelers will have to live with restrictions for a longer period of time.” Travelers should inform themselves carefully before their trips. If possible, trips should be postponed. Tickets are valid longer.
► Rail passengers can call the free hotline on 08000 99 66 33 for information.
Aircraft handling at BER interrupted
► Passengers at Berlin-Brandenburg Airport needed patience on Thursday morning. Due to strong gusts of wind, aircraft handling was severely restricted, and there were delays, as a spokesman for the operating company said. “We’re trying to get the handling up and running again as quickly as possible.”
According to the information, the first wave of take-offs and landings at BER at the start of operations in the early morning went smoothly. Because the storm got stronger again afterwards, the outriggers of the terminal’s passenger boarding bridges were not allowed to be moved up to the machines. In some cases, mobile bridges were used. Due to strong gusts, no luggage flaps were allowed to be opened at times.
It was initially unclear how long the delays were. There was also no final information about flight cancellations. Lufthansa had canceled flights to Frankfurt during the night.
Restrictions on the S-Bahn
Due to weather-related disruptions such as line closures and trees in the track area, there were delays, isolated failures and restrictions in the Berlin S-Bahn network, as the S-Bahn announced on Thursday.
Buses and trains in Berlin, on the other hand, were hardly affected by the storm, the BVG spoke of “comparatively little impact”. Only a few bus routes were diverted and trams had to wait for tracks to be cleared.
► Around 10:50 a.m. the line was closed U3 shortened. Because a tree had fallen on the roof of the Oskar-Helene-Heim train station, train traffic between Breitenbachplatz and Krumme Lanke was interrupted.
► The Ferry line 12 and the Wannsee ferry F10 got employed.
Detached parts of the roof, fallen trees in Brandenburg
The storm “Ylenia” led to many fire brigade operations in Brandenburg. The Northwest regional control center in Potsdam counted around 700 operations from Wednesday evening to Thursday afternoon. According to a spokeswoman, there were 200 during the night alone. “Call volume is consistently high,” she said.
► Because of the dangers of the storm, the Potsdam fire brigade warned against unnecessary stays outdoors. “So far, the #Potsdam fire brigade has processed 28 #storm operations in the @LH_Potsdam. Another 17 missions are open,” it said on Twitter at noon. So far there has been one slightly injured person. “Please only dial the emergency number 112 in acute danger to avoid overloading. Operations are processed with priority,” it said on Twitter.
Power outages in southern Brandenburg
The storm also caused many power outages in southern Brandenburg. Around 5,000 households around Cottbus were without electricity early Thursday morning, according to the network operator Mitteldeutsche Netzgesellschaft Strom. In the morning the number was reduced to around 700 households. The Oberspreewald-Lausitz and Spree-Neisse districts were also affected.
The main cause of the power outages were conductor cables collapsing, as well as trees and branches that damaged power lines.
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Storm damages Charité building
The storm also damaged a Charité building. Part of the canopy has come loose at the dental clinic, said clinic spokesman Markus Heggen. people were not injured. Operation in the building on Aßmannshauser Straße in Wilmersdorf is therefore not affected. On the Benjamin Franklin campus in Steglitz, part of the roof came off the north ramp. According to Heggen, no one was injured there either.
In Lankwitz roofs were covered
Two roofs were covered in Lankwitz. The fire brigade was on duty. Parts of the roof also fell onto parked vehicles on the Langkofelweg. There was property damage, and the fire brigade did not have to evacuate residents.
The next storm called “Zeynep” is already moving over Berlin and parts of Germany on Friday evening and Saturday night. In the evening and at the beginning of the night, gusts of between 90 and 110 kilometers per hour are possible, in places also hurricane gusts of around 120 kilometers per hour. In the second half of the night, the wind eased significantly.
with dpa