A severe storm surge hit the German North Sea coast and inland cities during the night. In Hamburg, the fish market was flooded. Strong gusts were reported up to Berlin.
The severe storm surge that had been announced flooded the fish market in Hamburg’s St. Pauli district on Sunday night. The apex was reached at around 12:17 a.m. at 2.84 meters above the mean high tide, said a spokeswoman for the Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency (BSH) on Sunday morning. Now the flood is back. The BSH had expected water levels in Hamburg to be up to 3 meters above mean high water.
As a dpa photographer reported, hundreds of onlookers were drawn to the fish market. Police said several cars were damaged in the flooding. A spokesman was initially unable to say how high the water was at the fish market.
According to the BSH, there was also a storm surge on other sections of the coast on Sunday night. “Not everywhere a severe storm surge like in Hamburg,” said the spokeswoman. However, the entire German North Sea coast was affected. In Bremerhaven, for example, the peak value was 2.14 meters above the mean high water level.
The Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency (BSH) tightened its storm surge warning on Saturday evening. The BSH announced on Saturday evening that there was a risk of a severe storm surge for the German North Sea coast. There is also a warning of a severe storm surge from the storm “Nadia” for East and North Friesland.
Danger also for the Baltic Sea coast
Because of the storm surge, a crisis team was set up in the interior authority in Hamburg. “The competencies are bundled there,” said a police spokesman on Sunday morning. The fire brigade and the district offices are also part of the Central Disaster Service (ZKD).
On the North Sea coast, one speaks of a storm surge when the flood water is at least 1.5 meters higher than normal. A severe or very severe storm surge is only spoken of from values of 2.5 or 3.5 meters.
There is also still a risk of a storm surge for the German Baltic Sea coast. Water levels of up to 130 cm above the mean water level are expected during the course of the day on Sunday. The low water warning is still in effect until the morning.
Shipwreck on the Elbe
A barge got stuck under a bridge in the port of Hamburg. A police spokesman said on Saturday evening that the ship got stuck with the wheelhouse on the Freihafenelbbrücke and got stuck. According to initial reports, there were no injuries. There were two people on board the ship. The exact cause of the accident was initially unclear. It is possible that the captain misjudged the rising water level of the Elbe. The bridge is closed.
“The ship is stuck under the bridge. If the water continues to rise, there is a risk that it will be pushed under water and sink,” the spokesman continued. Therefore, tugs are now on their way to free the ship. The Freihafenelbbrücke from 1926 is considered a symbol of Hamburg. It crosses the North Elbe and is located on the northern border of the port area.
Because of the inflowing water, some cars had to be recovered by the fire brigade in the city on the Elbe. They had been trapped by the flood. The authorities had previously called on citizens to take vehicles out of the danger zones. Videos on Twitter showed flooding at the fish market and helpers from the DLRG positioning inflatable boats.
According to the German weather service (DWD) stormy. The experts warned of storms up to hurricane gusts on Saturday. The warning applies until Sunday afternoon.
“Nadia” took care of numerous fire brigade operations
Fallen trees, loose roof tiles and toppled construction site barriers – the storm “Nadia” caused hundreds of police and fire brigade operations in northern Germany. alone in Hamburg there have been around 300 storm operations so far, said a police spokesman early on Sunday morning. A spokesman for the Hanseatic city’s fire brigade was initially unavailable.
Fire brigade in Schleswig-Holstein: Several trees fell over, roof tiles came loose. (Source: Daniel Bockwoldt/dpa)
Also in Schleswig Holstein there were numerous operations until Sunday morning. In the north of the country alone, the fire brigades had to be deployed around 120 times. That said a spokesman for the regional control center, which is responsible for Flensburg, Schleswig and Husum, among other things. No exact figures were available for other parts of the country. But there have been a number of operations, said a spokesman for the Ministry of the Interior. Since midday, there had been around 200 operations within four hours in the area of the regional control center responsible for Kiel, Neumünster and Rendsburg, among other things, as a spokesman said. “We’re totally under land because of the storm.”
The fire department at Bremen According to a spokesman, it was used more than 40 times during the night. In the district of Aurich in East Friesland, the fire brigade was called around 25 times for help. Trees and construction fences had also fallen there. The Lower Saxony Ministry of the Interior in Hanover did not have any exact figures early on Sunday morning. There were initially no larger operations, said a spokesman.
The storm low over the North Sea also brought the fire brigade and police in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania many missions. A spokesman for the fire brigade said they had been deployed almost 200 times in Schwerin and the surrounding area. In Stralsund, too, the situation center reported that they had their hands full. Nothing was initially known about injuries during the night.
Also in the area of the regional control center south in Luebeck the number of missions increased in the course of the afternoon. “We’ve been warming up since 2 p.m.,” said a spokeswoman. Since 12.00 noon there have been 46 operations in the control center area. Here, too, it was mainly downed trees and construction site barriers that were blown over. The regional control center responsible for North Friesland, Flensburg and the Schleswig-Flensburg district also reported numerous operations, but “nothing worth mentioning”.
Billboard falls on man
In Berlin As a precaution, the professional fire brigade put volunteer fire brigades on alert. The helpers of ten weirs have been ordered to the guards. Strong winds of up to 100 km/h are expected in the capital. According to media reports, a billboard fell on a passerby in Beelitz in Brandenburg and seriously injured him. In Friedrichshain and in Treptow there was damage from fallen trees.
In Schwerin long-distance traffic was partially discontinued. The fire brigade had to deal with fallen trees and falling branches.
Freighter drifted offshore
Because of the storm “Nadia” over the North Sea, an unloaded freighter drifted off the German coast for several hours. The 190 meter long “Vienna” clearly had problems maneuvering, said a spokesman for the emergency command in Cuxhaven on Sunday morning. The machine was too weak to hold the ship against wind and waves. Therefore, among other things, emergency tugs were sent to the distressed vessel. The freighter was secured after about six hours.
“Had we not intervened, the ship would have become a risk to the coast. We hope that the connection between the ETV and the ship will hold,” said the spokesman. The freighter, which sails under the flag of the Marshall Islands, is said to be drifting about 16 nautical miles (about 30 kilometers) off the East Frisian coast. According to initial findings, the 24 crew members were not injured. The ship was not damaged.
Massive lane restrictions
Because of the storm low over the North Sea, there were massive problems in rail traffic in northern Germany. Long-distance traffic in Hamburg, Schleswig Holstein, Lower Saxony, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and Bremen was stopped for about 50 minutes, said a railway spokesman. He cited storm damage as the reason. According to the information, the ICE routes between Hamburg and Bremen and between Hamburg and Berlin and Schwerin were affected.
According to Deutsche Bahn, there are still train cancellations and delays in regional transport. Travelers and commuters should check before driving via the website, via the app or by telephone whether their train is running as planned. It was therefore initially unclear when the trains would run again as planned. You have to wait for the night first, said the railway spokesman.