The onset of winter caused considerable danger and damage to the roads in several federal states on Monday. There were a number of slippery-related accidents, and there were restrictions on road traffic, especially at higher altitudes. The situation came to a head in the evening in the Rheingau-Taunus district in Hesse. According to the fire department, numerous drivers were stuck in their vehicles or had to be rescued from their cars. “The situation is extraordinary,” said district fire chief Michael Ehresmann. “Trees fall like matchsticks.”
The fire brigades have been in operation in the district area since midday, sometimes continuously. Other fire brigade and civil protection forces have been alerted. The Rheingau-Taunus district has set up a management team to coordinate the storm situation centrally, the district administration said.
On the road between Kiedrich and Hausen vor der Höhe, around 30 vehicles were still trapped in the snow in the evening. Around 100 people who had to be rescued from their vehicles near Eltville because of falling trees were accommodated and cared for in a hall on a nearby factory site, as the district fire chief reported. But the power went out there now. The emergency services would take care of the people.
Emergency services also look after students who are stuck
The fire department called on everyone in the district to avoid driving. “The goals are unlikely to be achievable and life is in danger,” warned the fire department. Road closures should be strictly observed and not carelessly avoided.
Numerous students and supervisors at a school in Wiesbaden had to spend the night of Tuesday in the school building due to the onset of winter. A spokesman for the fire department said on Tuesday morning that accommodation had been set up at the school for the night for 55 people, including 27 children, because they were unable to travel home on school buses due to the weather conditions. The students at an international school come from the entire Rhine-Main area, which is why it was no longer possible to return home due to the snowfall. A fire department support team of around 25 people takes care of the supplies. It was unclear that night whether classes would start again on Tuesday morning or whether those affected would be able to go home first. Breakfast will be provided, said the spokesman.
There were also severe disruptions elsewhere in the Taunus on Monday, as a spokesman for the West Hesse police headquarters in Wiesbaden said. Vehicles, including trucks, were parked across the streets, making it difficult to get through in some places. The Hochtaunus was particularly affected, but also the Taunus area near Wiesbaden in the direction of Platte.