Heavy rain in Germany: Several houses in the Eifel collapsed

Six houses collapsed in the Eifel and several people are missing. At the Wupper, residents are called upon to go to the higher floors of their houses. According to the fire brigade, the small town of Altena is “as good as unreachable”.

In the Eifel are loud SWR-Information six houses collapsed, 25 other houses are also unstable and threatened to collapse. The situation in the town of Schuld is confusing, according to a police spokesman in Koblenz. Apparently several people are missing, how many is still unclear.

Heavy rains yesterday caused chaos in parts of North Rhine-Westphalia and Rhineland-Palatinate. Two firefighters died during operations in the Sauerland. The situation in Hagen and Wuppertal is particularly tense.

The crisis team in Hagen is expecting “a 25-year flood,” announced the city. A state of emergency was declared there. Those who live in the immediate vicinity of rivers are asked to go to higher areas. North Rhine-Westphalia’s Prime Minister Armin Laschet announced a visit to Hagen to get an idea of ​​the situation there.

Two firefighters die during operations

Two firefighters died during their operations in the Märkisches Kreis in the Sauerland. As the police announced, one of them died in Altena. He fell into the water while rescuing a man and drifted away. The 46-year-old could only be recovered dead. A 52-year-old firefighter later collapsed during an operation near the Elverlingsen power station. The police assumed a health emergency.

In Hückeswagen in the Oberbergisches Kreis, the Bevertalsperre overflowed due to the heavy rainfall. The water is currently running uncontrolled over the edge of the dam, said a spokesman for the control center on Thursday morning. More than 1000 people had to leave their homes.

“There is an acute danger to life”

The situation in Wuppertal remains tense. The city warned of flooding after the Wupper dam overflowed. The alarm siren had been triggered. Some villages have been evacuated. Warning vehicles drove through the affected areas and informed the residents via loudspeaker announcements. “There is an acute danger to life,” said the warning. People should not stay near the Wupper during the night. Transformer stations also had to be temporarily switched off as a precaution. Emergency shelters were set up.

The fire brigade was in constant use in many places in North Rhine-Westphalia. In cities such as Dusseldorf, Dortmund and Bochum, cellars overflowing, flooded streets and fallen trees caused hundreds of operations.

Schools remain closed in the Eifel

In Rhineland-Palatinate, the disaster was declared in three districts. The Eifel in particular is affected. “I appeal to the population that everyone stay at home and protect themselves from the masses of water,” said Julia Gieseking, the district administrator of the Vulkaneifel district. In the event of a disaster, the Bundeswehr could be supported. Vehicles would also be needed to negotiate impassable roads. The focus of the operations is currently on rescuing people. At first, the emergency services could hardly take care of flooded cellars, said Gieseking. There were power outages in many places. Schools are to remain closed in several communities today.

Traffic obstructions due to continuous rain

Deutsche Bahn reported delays and train cancellations. Due to storm damage, the long-distance route between Cologne and Dortmund can only be used with considerable restrictions. In Rhineland-Palatinate, the A61 motorway had to be completely closed in the direction of travel south at the level of the Bad Neuenahr-Ahrweiler motorway triangle. The reason was that the lane was washed away by the heavy rains. The severe weather warnings of sometimes extreme continuous rain in West Germany were lifted during the night.

Missing person recovered dead in Baden-Württemberg

In Baden-Württemberg, rescue workers have been looking for a man who was missing since Monday. Fire service divers found the 81-year-old’s body in the Jagst in the Heilbronn district. The police believe that the man slipped on muddy ground and fell into the river.

The search for a 53-year-old in the Saxon Erzgebirgskreis continues. The man was swept away by a river Tuesday night as he tried to secure his property against the overflowing river.

More rains are expected in the south and southwest

According to forecasts by the German Weather Service, the rains are decreasing in the west today and are increasingly moving to the south-west and south. However, the amount of water in the area is likely to be less pronounced. Thunderstorm heavy rainfalls could not be excluded locally, it said. It looks more friendly on Thursday in the north and east, where, according to the DWD, the sun is more frequent.