Days of continuous rain posed challenges for residents and emergency services in many regions of Germany over Christmas. In Rinteln, Lower Saxony, residents were evacuated on Tuesday morning. In Windehausen, Thuringia, people had to leave their houses and apartments on Christmas Day.
According to the emergency services, the flood situation in the flooded town in northern Thuringia is now stable. The place was evacuated on Monday due to the critical situation. Of the almost 500 residents, an estimated 100 are still in the town, according to Matthias Marquardt, mayor of the town of Heringen, to which Windehausen belongs.
Flood waves and evacuations in Lower Saxony
The situation in the Goslar district in Lower Saxony is less stable. There the Oker Dam in the Harz Mountains has reached its maximum capacity. The Braunschweig city administration announced at midday that more water would now be released into the Oker via the overflow of the dam. Instead of 16 cubic meters per second, 30 cubic meters per second now flow into the river. The wave is expected to arrive in the city late in the evening. Because of the threat of the Oker flood, the city of Braunschweig has closed several streets near the river.
In the town of Rinteln in the Schaumburg district, residents of a street directly next to the city wall were evacuated in the morning, as the city administration announced. According to NDR, 108 residents were evacuated. The basements of the buildings on the affected street were full. The fire department is on site with pumps and stacking sandbags.
Lower Saxony’s Prime Minister Stephan Weil (SPD) got an idea of the flood situation in the country on Tuesday. During a visit to Northeim, where a dam had burst, he thanked the tens of thousands of helpers for their efforts over the Christmas holidays.
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Declining water levels in Rhineland-Palatinate and Hesse
With a few exceptions, the water levels on rivers and streams in Rhineland-Palatinate and Saarland are falling – and it is likely to stay that way in the coming days. “The trend is falling,” said a spokesman for the flood reporting service in Mainz. There could possibly be an increase again in the new year. “But that’s still a thing of the future,” he said. The German Weather Service also did not expect large amounts of rain in the next few days. According to the flood forecast center, the highest levels on the Upper Rhine had already been reached on Tuesday; on the Middle Rhine, the highest levels were expected during Tuesday, after which the water should also recede here.
The flood situation is also tending to ease in Bavaria and Hesse. According to forecasts, the maximum levels at the levels relevant for the state have largely been reached or have already passed, the Hessian State Office for Nature Conservation, Environment and Geology (HLNUG) announced on Tuesday. The peak is only expected on the Main, but according to current calculations this will only happen in the area of reporting level 1.
Severe weather warnings lifted
After all: After days of continuous rain, the DWD has lifted all of its severe weather warnings that were temporarily in effect for several federal states. The DWD announced at midday in Offenbach that the rain had eased or lost intensity. “No heavy rainfall is expected until further notice.”
Note: This article has been updated several times since it was first published.