Scholz and Söder in Bavaria: “Incredible wake-up call from nature”

While flood devices have prevented worse things from happening in Saxony, the situation in Bavaria is not yet easing. Prime Minister Söder and Federal Minister of Finance Scholz were concerned about the extent of the destruction.

The Bavarian Prime Minister Markus Söder (CSU) announced rapid aid during a visit to Berchtesgadener Land. “We don’t leave anyone alone, certainly not,” said Söder in Schönau am Koenigssee. Regardless of the prospect of federal aid, Bavaria will also consider how to help. “We mourn all the victims, we pray with the relatives, we wish all those who are still affected all the best.”

In the past few days, Germany has experienced an unbelievable wake-up call from nature, Söder continued. “The climate is changing and that has consequences. Heavy weather events are increasing.” He announced a government statement on climate protection for the coming week. One had to make faster progress in the fight against climate change and adaptation to the consequences.

Scholz: Germany must become climate neutral

Federal Finance Minister Olaf Scholz came to the affected area with Söder to get an idea of ​​the situation. He promised quick federal help. The emergency aid is based on the last flood, around 400 million euros, said Scholz. “We are ready to do our part.”

In view of climate change, it is particularly important that Germany become a climate-neutral industrialized country. Otherwise people would hit such catastrophes again and again, Scholz continued.

The situation in Bavaria remains tense

After heavy rain, the Berchtesgadener Land district in Upper Bavaria declared a disaster late on Saturday evening. The fire brigade was in constant use after torrential rain. According to the District Administrator Bernhard Kern (CSU), there were two fatalities. However, one victim died of a natural cause. But that could also be related to the storm, said Kern.

Around 890 assistants are currently working in the Berchtesgadener Land. The chief of operations spoke of dramatic scenes. There have been up to 500 missions. The emergency services had to get around 135 people out of their homes and bring them to safety. The situation remains tense because the next rain front has already been announced.

According to Kern, the damage caused by the storm cannot yet be estimated. One of the cases of damage concerns a sporting landmark, reports the BR. Accordingly, the bobsleigh and toboggan run in Schönau am Königssee was destroyed by the heavy storm during the night. Parts of the World Cup track were torn away by the masses of water and destroyed, as can be seen in pictures and videos. The track is more than 1500 meters long.

Ache water level at record level

The places particularly affected are Berchtesgaden, Bischofswiesen, Schönau am Königssee, Marktschellenberg and Ramsau in the far south-east of Bavaria. In Marktschellenberg, according to the district office, the district of Scheffau was cut off from the outside world. “There are always emergency calls coming in,” said a police spokesman in Rosenheim.

The situation is dramatic, said a spokesman for the integrated control center in Traunstein. The water shot out of the mountains, at the same time the water levels of the river Ache rose. Pictures show streets that turn into raging brooks. People waded knee-deep in the water.

Schools and daycare centers remain closed

Schools and daycare centers in the flood areas will be closed on Monday. The district office of Berchtesgadener Land announced that there would be emergency care. It is not yet clear whether the facilities in Berchtesgaden, Bischofswiesen, Marktschellenberg, Ramsau and Schönau am Königssee will have to remain closed on Tuesday. On the one hand, this serves the safety of the children, it was said as a reason.

Above all, however, the passable streets should be kept free so that the emergency services could get through smoothly with their heavy equipment.

Flood warning for Munich and Passau

In Passau, too, the water levels in the rivers rose significantly. As a precaution, the police towed cars from parking lots on the Danube, a spokeswoman said. Residents have failed to park their vehicles despite flood warnings. “If we don’t tow them away, they’ll swim to Austria,” said the police spokeswoman.

In the Upper Bavarian district of Altötting, the water levels on the Salzach are rising due to the heavy rainfall in Berchtesgadener Land and Austria. In the city of Burghausen, water levels above reporting level 3 were forecast so that built-up areas could also be flooded.

There is also a risk of flooding in the state capital of Munich and the surrounding area, such as the BR reported. At the Munich / Isar gauge, reporting level 1 would be exceeded early on Sunday afternoon, and reporting level 2 could also be exceeded briefly on Monday, the Bavarian flood news service said.

Floods in Saxon Switzerland

Immense rainfall also caused severe flooding in parts of Saxony. In Saxon Switzerland, several localities of cities and municipalities were no longer accessible. Neustadt, Sebnitz, Bad Schandau, Reinhardtsdorf-Schöna and Gohrisch are particularly affected, said the district office.

According to the state flood center, it rained more than 100 liters per square meter within 24 hours in the catchment area of ​​the Kirnitzsch and Sebnitz rivers. As a result, the water levels of numerous rivers swelled rapidly.

Rail traffic to the Czech Republic interrupted

The railway line between Bad Schandau and Dečin in the Czech Republic was closed. The disruption will probably last until the afternoon, said Deutsche Bahn. “Long-distance trains end and begin in Dresden Hauptbahnhof.” This applies above all to the Hamburg-Berlin-Dresden-Prague connection. There were also failures in local traffic, replacement traffic by buses could not be set up due to difficult road conditions, it said.

In the East Saxon districts of Bautzen and Görlitz, heavy rain flooded streets and cellars. In addition, the water levels in the Lusatian Neisse area rose considerably. Alert level 4 was exceeded at the gauge in Zittau. Problems with flooded cellars were also reported locally from West Saxony, for example in Hohenstein-Ernstthal, Oberlungwitz and Wüstenbrand. Some residents built blockades to protect their homes.

“Prevents worse”

The state flood center in Saxony has meanwhile given the all-clear for the tributaries of the Upper Elbe. “With the fall in precipitation from the night, the situation calmed down and the water flow in the rivers fell significantly,” said the authorities. Only at the level of the Wesenitz in Bischofswerda was alarm level 1 reached in the region. In the lower reaches of Kirnitzsch, Lachsbach and Wesenitz, the water levels fell significantly.

State environment minister Wolfram Günther (Greens) said that the flood devices installed in recent years had prevented worse things from happening. Due to the calming weather, his ministry cautiously gave the all-clear. It was said that particular caution was still required on rivers.

Civil protection alarm in parts of Austria

Torrential rain also hit parts of Austria last night. In the city of Hallein in the state of Salzburg, civil protection alarms had been triggered, as well as in Mittersill in Pinzgau and in Kufstein in Tyrol. In the city of Salzburg, flood protection was built along the Salzach.

In Hallein, the water masses flooded parts of the old town. According to the authorities, some of the water drained away in the late evening. However, the situation in Hallein remains tense. The authorities are in the process of securing lower parts of the city against renewed flooding, said a spokesman.

In Kufstein, people were asked not to leave buildings and to retreat to higher floors. In the urban area, the water from the tributaries of the Inn has already reached the streets. Part of the Felbertauernstrasse was closed due to possible landslides. In Vienna, too, there was a lot of activity among the fire brigades due to flooded cellars and underpasses.