Consequences of severe weather: Breathe a sigh of relief at the Steinbachtalsperre

In Bavaria, the situation is easing in many places, and there is also the all-clear for the Steinbach Dam in North Rhine-Westphalia. NRW Prime Minister Laschet and Federal Minister of the Interior Seehofer got an idea of ​​the situation on site.

After the storms in western Germany, Federal Interior Minister Horst Seehofer and North Rhine-Westphalia’s Prime Minister Armin Laschet got an idea of ​​the situation at the Steinbach dam in Euskirchen. Laschet said the situation at the lock had relaxed. A break could have been prevented at this point. There is now a chance “that the situation will finally relax”.

The Cologne district government had previously announced that a dam break was no longer to be feared. The Rhein-Sieg district stated that the evacuation measures for Swisttal and Rheinbach could now be lifted. There the residents had to leave their apartments in some districts.

Civil protection debate

Interior Minister Seehofer spoke of an “incredible tragedy” in view of the storms and their consequences. He praised the “first-class performance” of the helpers. Such an event is “first and foremost an hour for help and solidarity”. With a view to the debate on civil protection, he stated that its federal structure was the right one. “Centralism doesn’t improve anything here.”

Laschet said there was a need to analyze how disaster reporting could be made better. After the flood disaster, there was criticism that the people affected were inadequately warned or not warned early enough.

Still danger in Erftstadt-Blessem

The city of Erftstadt, which was badly affected by the storm, announced that the more than 100 vehicles trapped by the flood on a federal highway had been recovered, apart from two trucks. No dead were discovered.

The edge of the abortion in the community, however, continues to pose a risk. Although the gravel pit behind the Blessem district is largely cordoned off, Mayor Carolin Weitzel said WDR. However, further slipping of earth masses is possible at any time. The affected districts would be permanently monitored with drones. Geological investigations were carried out at the same time. “As soon as the place is classified as accessible, tests of the statics begin,” said Weitzel.

In Blessem there is an acute danger to life near the edge of the breakoff. The mayor reported that the search for missing persons was under high pressure and using all available resources. Robots, sonar devices, drones and search dogs are in action with the rescue workers on site.

Water levels in Passau are falling

Good news came from Bavaria. For example, the water levels in Passau are falling, and the feared flood disaster in the southeast of the state has not materialized. Since there was no more relevant precipitation and, according to the German Weather Service, there will be no relevant area precipitation in the coming days, further relaxation can be assumed, the flood news service Bavaria announced. “The waves are running down,” said the warning service’s report.

In Passau, the water level of the Danube had risen only slightly on Monday night. Individual areas of the city were flooded. Fortunately, one is still far from catastrophic conditions, said a police spokesman. The fire brigade expects that the clean-up work can begin in the evening or on Tuesday at the latest.

Clean-up work in the Berchtesgadener Land

Even in the Berchtesgadener Land, which was particularly badly hit by storms, people could breathe a sigh of relief. “The night passed quietly,” said the fire department. The helpers are busy cleaning up.

In the region, the force of the water struck at full speed on the weekend because the river Ache overflowed its banks. More than 160 people had to be brought out of their homes in the holiday region around the Königssee, as a spokeswoman for the district office said. The national park administration continued to warn against activities in the region, which is popular with tourists.

More than 160 dead

The number of confirmed fatalities due to the devastating floods rose to more than 160. In the Ahrweiler district in Rhineland-Palatinate, police reported that 117 people died in the morning and 749 were injured. At least 46 people died in North Rhine-Westphalia and one person was killed in Bavaria.