On Christmas Eve, the flood attracts people who are not directly affected: they visit the flood areas around Göttingen
Göttingen/Bovenden – The morning and midday of Christmas Eve were used by many people in Göttingen and the surrounding area to get an idea of the flood situation on the Leine.
The situation in Bovenden in the Leine Valley looks particularly spectacular. The otherwise relatively narrow river has transformed the fields into a lake landscape.
Around 20 allotment gardens were also flooded by the water.
Garden owners still quickly save electrical devices
The owner of a garden on the country road between Bovenden and Lenglern was there in the afternoon and looked at what was happening. Like many other garden owners, he stored firewood on the property. This is now wet – at least in the lower area. At the last moment on Saturday, another garden owner quickly saved his electric garden tools from the rising water level.
Dogs bathe in the floodwaters of the Leine on the Sandweg in Göttingen
A similar picture can be seen on Sandweg in Göttingen Südstadt, which is often closed due to flooding. “It’s very impressive,” say Olga and Marcel, who have put their ten-year-old golden retriever Pluto on a leash. The three of them live just around the corner and go for a walk here every day. “The dog is crazy about water,” says Marcel. “No matter what the weather is like, Pluto always wants to go into the river.” This was also the case during high water on Sunday afternoon, when he took the “stick” back by swimming.
A little later, six racing cyclists from Tuspo Weende appear in the sand path. “We ride at least 60 kilometers in the southern district every Sunday,” says Björn Hansmann, head of the cycling department at Tuspo. “We can’t continue here today.” So the athletes simply move their training to the water’s edge.
In Rosdorf, helpers continue to fill sandbags
Just a kilometer away, at the Hesse company in Rosdorf, dozens of volunteers are still busy filling sandbags. Helpers from the volunteer fire brigades, the THW, the Malteser relief service and the Arbeiter Samariter Bund (ASB) are on site. Some helpers had to travel a long way. The THW from Erfurt is deployed in the Göttingen district with four vehicles and 14 helpers. The ASB supports with volunteers from Bad Lauterberg.
Streets in the area of the municipality of Friedland are or were flooded, for example from Klein Schneen to Groß Schneen, from Stockhausen to Obernjesa, from Niedernjesa to Obernjesa and from Friedland to Groß Schneen.
Forecast: Leine level is expected to fall – but there will be a lot of rain on Monday in the Harz and Göttingen districts
According to the forecast, the water level in Göttingen will fall from now on, albeit slowly. Reporting level 3 should not be exceeded, although further rain is forecast in southern Lower Saxony with the Harz and northern Hesse for Christmas Eve and especially for Christmas Day, on Monday. (Stefan Rampfel)