There will be a lot of rain again until Thursday. The situation in the flood areas therefore remains tense, especially in Lower Saxony. Federal Interior Minister Faeser promised further help during a visit.
It remains wet: The flood situation remains tense, especially in Lower Saxony. For the time being, there is no relief for the residents of the flood areas. The German Weather Service (DWD) in Offenbach is again predicting a lot of rain in the coming days. After the slight easing over the turn of the year, the flood areas in northwest Germany are threatened with renewed rising tides.
The German Weather Service warns of continuous rain that could begin on Tuesday night and last until Thursday. “The flood situation will become significantly worse again due to the announced rainfall,” said the weather service. The continuous rain is to be expected southwest of a line from the mouth of the Elbe to the Saxon Vogtland. “Heavy, continuous rain” could fall in some low mountain ranges on Tuesday. As a result, there could also be minor flooding on some northern Bavarian rivers from Tuesday.
Fibers in sand jug on site
According to data from the State Office for Water Management, Coastal and Nature Conservation (NLWKN), there is little change in water levels in many places in Lower Saxony. The authorities reported in the morning that a warning of major floods was active for the Leine, the Aller and the Upper and Middle Weser, among others.
In the afternoon, Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser took a look at the flood situation in Lower Saxony. In Sandkrug near Oldenburg, the SPD politician found out about the situation and spoke to emergency services. She promised further support for the affected areas. On Sunday, Chancellor Olaf Scholz visited affected areas.
The situation in Saxony-Anhalt is stable
In Saxony-Anhalt, the flood situation remains stable, although in some cases at a high level. According to the State Office for Flood Protection (LHW), the flood peak on the Elbe continued to move towards Tangermünde, where the second of four alarm levels was reached. At the Barby gauge and further up the Elbe near Wittenberg, the water levels fell again on New Year’s Day.
However, the situation remains tense further south in Saxony-Anhalt on the border with Thuringia on the Helme. Because of the flooding on the river, the railway line between Sangerhausen in Saxony-Anhalt and Artern in Thuringia has been closed. The Mansfeld-Südharz district said the reason for the closure was the use of an excavator on the railway embankment near Oberröblingen to secure the dike there.
The helpers in Saxony-Anhalt always have to deal with onlookers. In Lostau (Jerichower Land), for example, several people were found in an unseaworthy children’s inflatable boat in the flooded area of the Elbe, as the police announced on Sunday. The police authorities in the south of Saxony-Anhalt also warned against entering the dikes.