storm
Continuous rain leads to numerous operations in the Sauerland
Firefighters in Solingen on duty on a street flooded by continuous rain. photo
© Gianni Gattus/Blaulicht Aktuell Solingen/dpa
Flooded streets, overflowing cellars: continuous rain has triggered many fire brigade operations in western Germany. However, a flood alarm can be canceled after a short time.
Heavy rainfall in the north-west of the Sauerland region in North Rhine-Westphalia has led to numerous fire brigade and rescue service operations. In the early hours of the night there were 480 operations in the Märkisch district, said a spokesman for the district control center early on Friday morning. The fire brigade had to pump out flooded basements. According to initial reports, there were no injuries.
The Märkische Kreis had previously warned of flooding due to overflowing streams and smaller rivers and flooding of streets because of the constant rain. In Solingen, where there was a flood alarm during the night, the situation on the Wupper stabilized again.
It’s supposed to keep raining for now
On Friday morning, the German weather service predicted further continuous rain for parts of Germany until the morning, “especially in the west congestion of the central low mountain ranges with rainfall between 30 and 40 liters per square meter in 24 hours”.
According to the information, the focus of the operations in the Märkisch district was the Oberbrügge district of Halver. The Volme River has meanwhile burst its banks. The situation relaxed again during the night. The fire brigade averted considerable damage with sandbags and pumps, district fire chief Michael Kling was quoted as saying.
The authorities had previously called on people living on the Volme not to stay in the lower floors or basements of their homes. They should also disconnect the electrical appliances there from the power supply. Those who wanted could also stay in the community center of the district. In the meantime, around 30 people had sought refuge there. But that was just a precautionary measure.
On Thursday evening, several roads in the cities of Altena and Kierspe were closed due to the rapidly rising water levels in the Lenne and Kerspe rivers. The German Weather Service had warned of heavy continuous rain and possible flooding for individual administrative districts in North Rhine-Westphalia. The warning was lifted early Friday morning.
Storm lows also at the weekend
After persistent rainfall, the levels of some rivers in parts of Lower Saxony may continue to rise in the coming days. On request, the flood forecasting center announced that up to 20 liters of precipitation per square meter were forecast for the Osnabrück area in the coming days. Up to 30 liters per square meter are expected for stagnant layers of resin.
According to the German Weather Service (DWD), further storm lows will move over Lower Saxony and Bremen at the weekend. In addition to more rain, they should also bring some strong gusts of wind.