storm
Situation escalates: people rescued from flooded houses
Heavy rainfall caused the Fils to overflow its banks in the town of Hausen near Bad Ditzenbach in the Göppingen district. Photo
© Markus Zechbauer/Zema Media/dpa
Some rivers in Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg have already overflowed their banks. The worst may yet be yet to come.
In the flood areas in southern Germany, the authorities are extending evacuation calls in view of rising river levels. In the Bavarian district of Augsburg, people were asked to leave their apartments and houses on Saturday evening. The situation will worsen in the northern part of the district in the evening, said a spokeswoman for the Augsburg district office. The German Weather Service (DWD) also maintained the highest level of flooding in several districts in Bavaria in the evening. Severe weather warning level remains in effect. There are currently no reports of major property damage. Rescue workers have been working non-stop for hours.
Rivers flooded streets, cellars and meadows, particularly in some areas of Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg. Federal Minister of the Interior Nancy Faeser assured the regions of further support. “Due to the heavy, persistent rain and the threat of flooding, the THW is prepared to deploy additional forces nationwide,” said the SPD politician, referring to the Federal Agency for Technical Relief’s emergency services. “We will continue to support the affected federal states with all available resources.” More than 500 THW workers are deployed. There are probably hundreds more in the fire brigades.
The situation is particularly tense around Augsburg. According to the responsible district, residents in the town of Diedorf should leave their homes after two dams broke. Due to the high volume of water, an evacuation is being prepared in the Diedorf district of Anhausen, the Augsburg district office announced. “It is no longer sufficient to go to higher floors.” Bavaria’s Prime Minister Markus Söder and Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann (both CSU) went to see the situation on site.
Söder: “It’s only just getting started”
During his visit, Söder spoke of an “extreme burden” for the people and warned: “It’s not over yet. It’s only just getting started.” The storm is currently concentrated in Swabia, which is why resources – such as sandbags – are being concentrated there too.
Even though there were no large-scale floods by the evening, the situation in some areas is already threatening. In Babenhausen, south of Ulm, emergency services rescued people from their homes using boats. Cell phone reception was also partially down there. Anyone who needs help and cannot make an emergency call should hang a white sheet or cloth out of the window or – if possible – make themselves known at the window to draw attention to their emergency situation, the district office issued instructions.
In Fischach in the Augsburg district, helpers rescued people from their homes by helicopter. The residents would not have been able to leave the town any other way, said a spokeswoman for the district administration. In some places, there are fears of a once-in-a-century flood. This is a calculated value and refers to a flood that is reached or exceeded on average once every 100 years.
Bundeswehr soldiers are also being deployed in Bavaria. “The Bundeswehr is supporting the two districts of Günzburg and Aichach-Friedberg after both districts submitted an official request,” a Bundeswehr spokeswoman from the Bavarian State Command told the broadcaster Antenne Bayern. In Memmingen, around 100 prisoners from a prison were brought to safety due to flooding.
130 liters within 24 hours
In some places, heavy rain has been falling since Friday. According to meteorologists, for example, since 8 a.m. on Friday in Sigmarszell-Zeisertsweiler in Bavaria, 135 liters per square meter have fallen within 24 hours. In Kißlegg in Baden-Württemberg, it was 130 liters. In several cities in the two federal states, rainfall amounts of more than 100 liters per square meter within 24 hours had accumulated by early Saturday morning. Climate change is making extreme weather events more likely.
Severe weather warnings were issued on Saturday evening for parts of Baden-Württemberg and Bavaria. Heavy rain was warned of in a strip from Bavaria through Thuringia, Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt and as far as Brandenburg. During the night to Sunday, the DWD expects further showers and thunderstorms with heavy rain, primarily from Thuringia to northern Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg. The rainfall is not expected to subside until the second half of the night and move towards France. In the afternoon, there was already heavy rain in Greiz, Thuringia, with flooded cellars and streets.
Floods in Baden-Württemberg
Land is also under water in parts of Baden-Württemberg. Areas in Upper Swabia are affected. Rivers have overflowed their banks. The two cities of Ulm and Neu-Ulm, on the other hand, are no longer expecting extreme flooding. According to the fire department, a central sandbag storage facility has been commissioned in Friedrichshafen on Lake Constance.
Baden-Württemberg’s Environment Minister Thekla Walker (Greens) said in an initial assessment: “As initial experiences on the ground show, it has paid off that the state government has mobilized and permanently secured a lot of money for dams, rain retention basins and municipal heavy rain concepts in recent years.”
Appeal to the population to be cautious
Authorities in several regions of Germany called on the population to be cautious in view of the weather. The Saxon State Office for the Environment, Agriculture and Geology appealed to people to pay attention to their own safety in the event of high water and flooding. This means staying away from watercourses, not going or driving into basements, underground garages or underpasses in heavy rain with water ingress, and not crossing flooded areas on foot or by vehicle.
In Germany, the weather is affecting rail travelers. According to Deutsche Bahn, there are disruptions and train cancellations in southern Germany. Two ICE routes in particular are affected, a railway spokeswoman said. There will be no trains running between Munich, Bregenz and Zurich all day Saturday due to the flooding. The route between Ulm and Augsburg is also affected. The rain caused several accidents on the roads, some of which resulted in injuries.