The flood situation remains critical in many places. Those affected include Bremen, Dresden and Magdeburg. According to the fire brigade association, there are many problems with the operations. The rain is only temporarily decreasing.
The flood situation remains tense on some rivers in Germany. Areas affected include areas on the Elbe in Saxony and Saxony-Anhalt as well as on the Weser in North Rhine-Westphalia and Lower Saxony. In Dresden The six-meter mark on the Elbe is expected to be exceeded on Thursday morning. At the Schöna gauge upstream near the Czech border, the second highest alert level is 3, where 6.37 meters were measured early in the morning. Dresden had already declared alert level 3 on Tuesday evening.
Weir opened for the first time in more than ten years
To defuse the flood situation in Magdeburg and the one slightly south of it Schönebeck The State Office for Flood Protection and Water Management opened the Pretzien weir. This means that around a third of the Elbe’s water is channeled past the two cities through a canal before flowing back into the Elbe. Hundreds of people watched the events on the surrounding dikes in the morning.
The approximately 135 meter long weir was last opened in June 2013.
Dike crack in Lilienthal
On the Helme, which flows south of the Harz, the highest flood alert level 4 is expected to apply in the coming days. In Lower Saxony, the state agency for water management, coastal and nature conservation expected further flooding, especially on the Middle Weser and the upper reaches of the Aller, Leine and Oker rising water levels.
In the community Lilienthal near Bremen According to the local fire department, a dike tore down and the affected area was evacuated on Wednesday afternoon. Due to a sodden dike, other streets were evacuated on Thursday night.
In the adjacent one Bremen The flood situation in the Borgfeld district is similarly tense. In the Timmersloh district, the dikes could be reworked so that evacuations no longer had to take place there, as a fire department spokesman said early in the morning.
300 people have to leave their homes
Because of the Aller flood, the Lower Saxony municipality of Winsen Around 300 people left their homes. The settlements of Westohe and Südohe would have to be evacuated, the Celle district announced on Wednesday evening. The water level on the streets there had risen to around 40 to 50 centimeters, so the electricity was turned off for safety reasons. The Allertal sports hall in Winsen is currently being set up as emergency accommodation.
In some places in the Verden district There was still a “threatening situation” during the night due to flooding and weakening dikes, as a fire department spokesman said.
Disaster alarm precursors in Niedersachsen
Several districts in Lower Saxony identified a preliminary stage of the disaster alarm – this means, among other things, that the district administrations have easier access to relief workers. According to state fire director Dieter Rohrberg, the area was particularly affected City of Sarstedt in the Hildesheim districtwhere the rivers Innerste and Leine flow together.
At the Upper reaches of the Weser from Hann. Münden to Höxter According to the state office, water levels in North Rhine-Westphalia fell on Wednesday, but rising water levels were predicted for the Middle Weser. At the Drakenburg gauge in the Nienburg district It was said that the previous record level from 1981, namely 8.34 meters, could even be exceeded. In North Rhine-Westphalia, the numerous dams also remain under observation.
Firefighters Association criticizes problems
Fire departments complain about the theft of sandbags. “Sandbags that are installed on dikes are taken away by residents because they themselves do not have sandbags to protect their houses,” said the President of the German Fire Brigade Association, Karl-Heinz Banse.
He spoke of many problems during the operations. “There are insults, there are discussions with those affected, why does the water only start to be pumped out on street A and not on street B. Why does my neighbor have the fire department in the basement before me,” said Banse. “There are lots and lots of arguments.” In addition, the fire department has to contend with a lot of onlookers.
According to Banse, thousands of firefighters have been on duty in various parts of Germany since Christmas Eve. “We have a flood situation that we have not experienced in many years.”
Less rain temporarily
According to the German Weather Service (DWD) forecast, it will remain largely dry today. This could ease the flood situation on some rivers somewhat.
However, according to the DWD, the risk of heavier rainfall will then increase again. On Friday it could rain again and again, especially in the areas around Harz, Bergisches Land, Sauerland and Siegerland. According to the DWD, only isolated showers are forecast for Saturday, but it could rain more frequently again on Sunday.