Flood
Storms in Bavaria and Thuringia
This panel van had to be recovered in Kastl, Bavaria, using an excavator. photo
© Daniel Karmann/dpa
Heavy rain floods streets and cellars in Bavaria. In the southwest, however, the situation continues to ease. But the meteorologists have not yet given the all-clear.
In Bavaria, the police assessed this morning: Overall, the situation was not dramatic and no one was seriously injured. According to a police spokesman, there were more than 60 operations in Upper Franconia alone. Bamberg and the surrounding area were particularly affected by storms. The emergency services were called out primarily because of full basements and flooded streets. According to the police, there were also around ten weather-related accidents. Nobody was seriously injured.
In Upper Palatinate, the police reported around 20 operations. The fire department in particular was called out because of fallen trees, flooded streets and full basements, said a police spokesman. Mass water caused cars to drift across the streets in the municipality of Kastl in the Amberg-Sulzbach district and people were trapped in their houses. According to the information, there were no injuries.
In Thuringia, the town of Bad Salzungen was particularly affected by the consequences of the heavy rain. Several cellars, garages and streets were flooded. According to the current status, there were 28 operations between 6:30 p.m. and 11:00 p.m., according to the press spokeswoman for the Wartburg district administrator. The German Weather Service (DWD) had warned of severe weather for parts of Germany on Tuesday.
Roads in Saarland remain closed
Fire departments have been on duty for days due to storms. On the Pentecost weekend, people in Saarland and the southwest of Rhineland-Palatinate in particular fought against floods. Enormous amounts of rain had caused floods, landslides and flooded streets and cellars. The Saarland Ministry of the Interior gave the all-clear on Wednesday. A spokesman said: “We no longer have any problems and are back to normal operations, so to speak, across the country.”
A number of roads in Saarland are still closed. This includes part of the city’s A620 motorway. It is still unclear when it will be reopened, said the police spokesman. According to the state road construction authority in Neunkirchen, the closures on some state roads in Saarland may be longer-term.
North could be hit Wednesday
The weather is not calm yet. On Wednesday, the north of Germany in particular could be affected by severe weather. According to the forecast, the focus of the storms on Wednesday will be from Schleswig-Holstein to Western Pomerania and the Uckermark – in other words, in regions that have not been affected by severe storms so far.
Compulsory insurance against natural hazards?
As a consequence of the storms of the past few days, the possible introduction of compulsory insurance against natural hazards is being discussed again in Germany. The state prime ministers want to discuss this with Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) on June 20th. A spokeswoman for the Federal Ministry of Justice told the “Augsburger Allgemeine” (Wednesday). Natural damage is damage caused by nature. This includes damage caused by floods, storms or landslides.
However, the Federal Ministry of Justice is skeptical about such insurance. “The introduction of a nationwide compulsory natural hazard insurance does not solve the problem of the risk of damage to buildings and the associated financial burden for citizens,” the spokeswoman told the newspaper. She referred, among other things, to the bureaucratic effort as a result of the necessary controls. “This control is extremely complex and costly given the many millions of residential buildings in Germany and the insurance law expertise required to check it.”
More than a year ago, the Federal Council called for the nationwide introduction of compulsory natural hazard insurance, also with reference to the flood disaster on the Ahr in 2021 with many deaths and immense damage.