Flood situation in Germany
Mansfeld-Südharz district declares disaster – Oldenburg is preparing possible evacuation
A Federal Police helicopter transports sandbags in Oldenburg to protect the region from flooding
© Jörn Hüneke / Xoyo / DPA
The Flood keeps people in the affected regions on tenterhooks. In some cases the water levels are receding slightly – but the situation remains critical in many places. The situation on Saturday at a glance.
The situation in the flood areas Germany remains critical on Saturday too. Parts of Lower Saxony and the south of Saxony-Anhalt on the border with Thuringia are affected, among others. However, in Lower Saxony, the second largest federal state in terms of area, there were signs of a slight easing in some places.
The current situation at a glance:
Floods: District in Saxony-Anhalt declares a disaster
The Mansfeld-Südharz district has because of the flood the disaster has been identified. District Administrator André Schröder announced on Saturday that the decision was based on the long duration of the defensive measures against the flood situation. The Kelbra dam on the state border with Thuringia has been being drained in a controlled manner for several days because it was in danger of overflowing. As a result, the water level in the helmets has risen sharply. On Thursday evening, the authorities opened a dike on the river so that the water can drain into open fields towards Thuringia. The mayor of the municipality of Südharz, Peter Kohl, described the situation as critical. According to the district, there are currently no plans for evacuations or requests from the Bundeswehr.
Bremen extends firecracker ban due to flooding
Because of the ongoing flooding and the associated reduced retreats for wild animals, Bremen is extending the ban on firecrackers that has already been enacted for New Year’s Eve. From 6 p.m. on New Year’s Eve to 6 a.m. on New Year’s Day, no fireworks may be set off anywhere in Bremen within a zone of 300 meters from open landscapes such as meadows, fields or moors, the Interior Department announced on Saturday. The firecracker ban previously applied to three districts in Bremen.
Dogs are also required to be kept on a leash until Friday next week. Interior Senator Ulrich Mäurer (SPD) appealed to citizens to be considerate of the wildlife and to find other areas for private fireworks displays. “For wild animals, escaping from the flood already means maximum stress. Fireworks in the immediate vicinity would cause the animals to panic and possibly drive them into the water and thus to their death,” said the senator in a statement.
Support during floods – platform set up in Lilienthal
In Lilienthal near Bremen, citizens can now offer each other help online. Given the flood The volunteer agency has set up a platform for this, as the community announced on Saturday. There, citizens could, for example, ask for tools, donations in kind or a listening ear – or offer help. Requests or offers must be sent by email to the address [email protected] be sent.
Relaxation in Serengeti Park
In the Serengeti Park in Hodenhagen, Lower Saxony, the critical flood situation on the other hand, slightly relaxed. Pumps on the site managed to push large amounts of water behind the dike towards Meiße, said a spokeswoman for the amusement park north of Hanover. The water in the animal house for the antelopes and giraffes also sank noticeably and flowed out of the building again. According to the park, large parts of the area are still flooded and in some cases cannot be reached at all. Lions, rhinos, tigers and elephants, among others, live in the park.
Oldenburg is preparing for possible evacuation – dikes are currently stable
In the city of Oldenburg in Lower Saxony, a possible evacuation due to flooding is being prepared. The city announced on Saturday that the dikes were still under high pressure. Water levels would only fall marginally at most. So far, however, the dikes are dry and stable.
According to the information, the Achterdiek area, where the coastal canal flows into the Hunte, is particularly affected. “This is a precautionary measure – a specific evacuation is currently not planned,” it said in a statement. An emergency shelter would be available to affected citizens, it said. Regardless of this, a ban on entering the dikes still applies.
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The situation in Hatten remains critical – the ban on New Year’s Eve firecrackers has been lifted
The flood situation in Hatten near Oldenburg remains critical. However, the water levels are stable and there are no new places where dikes need to be secured, the municipality announced on Saturday. Dike securing measures that are already underway should be completed in the evening. Residents of a residential area that has been evacuated as a precautionary measure would then probably be able to return to their homes from Sunday.
There are currently 400 emergency services deployed in the community. Dikes will be secured using tracked vehicles and helicopters, among other things, and will be constantly monitored in the coming days.
However, there will not be a ban on fireworks planned for New Year’s Eve in the community. The situation had been reassessed, it was said from the town hall. However, Mayor Guido Heinsich (independent) warned that citizens should use fireworks responsibly so as not to place unnecessary strain on emergency services.
Federal police continue to support dike security near Oldenburg
The Federal Police continues to support dike security near Oldenburg in Lower Saxony with a helicopter. On Friday, a Super Puma helicopter brought particularly large sandbags to dikes in Hatten to secure them, the federal police said on Saturday. The helicopter has been in use again since 10 a.m. on Saturday.
On Friday, the helicopter reportedly made 19 flights and brought 13 tons of sand to the dikes. It will probably continue to be in the air in the coming days. A Navy helicopter also took to the air in the region on Friday, but only made reconnaissance flights. In general, this helicopter is also available to provide support in the region, said a spokesman for the Bundeswehr’s Territorial Command on Friday.
Several maximum flood levels on the Aller and Weser have been exceeded
The flood has brought new highs at several water levels in Lower Saxony. On the Weser, for example, the water level on Saturday morning near Drakenburg exceeded the previous high from 1981 by one centimeter at 835 centimeters, as the national flood service announced on Saturday. “But the peak has already been reached and the water levels at the gauge are falling slightly,” it said.
Previous highs were also exceeded on the Aller. 580 centimeters were measured in Langlingen and 659 centimeters in Eitze on Saturday morning. This means that previous flood records were exceeded by five and eight centimeters respectively.
Sandbags stolen in Thuringia
In a town in the Kyffhäuser district in Thuringia, helpers were horrified to discover on Saturday that unknown persons had stolen 40 meters of sandbags from the protective walls built along the helmets. According to the district office, the protective wall at Mönchpfiffel-Nikolausrieth was completely removed over 20 meters. Initially no information could be given about the perpetrators. The district office wants to file criminal charges.
Water levels falling in North Rhine-Westphalia
In the flood regions in North Rhine-Westphalia, people can breathe a little. “Overall, the trend in water levels is declining,” said a spokesman for the North Rhine-Westphalia Ministry of the Environment when asked by the German Press Agency on Saturday.
The Federal Agency for Technical Relief (THW) prepared to operate in the flood areas until the first week of January. “It is very clear that this will last through the turn of the year,” said THW President Sabine Lackner to the DPA news agency on Friday. “What concerns us greatly is the condition of the dikes.” They were massively softened. Around 1,000 emergency services are on the move in the affected areas every day.