Status: 02/20/2022 07:49 a.m
Hurricane low “Zeynep” also kept Hamburg on its toes. The fire brigade has been on 1,475 missions since Friday afternoon. Wind forces between 9 and 11 were measured. For the first time since 2013, the Hanseatic city experienced a very severe storm surge with more than 3.5 meters above the mean high water level.
The water level at the St. Pauli gauge reached around 5.30 a.m. 3.75 meters above the mean high water level, which corresponds to around 5.90 meters above sea level. As a result, not only the fish market was flooded, but also the Große Elbstraße and parts of Hafencity. From 3.50 meters above mean high water, one speaks of a very severe storm surge. According to the storm surge warning service, the flood protection systems are designed up to a height of 7.30 meters above sea level.
Flood: Two people rescued
Despite the warnings, individual vehicles had to be rescued in the areas flooded by the storm surge. According to the fire brigade, cars were drifting in Hafencity in the Elbe water that had burst its banks. Emergency services were able to rescue two men from a vehicle at Sandtorkai with a rubber dinghy, they came to a hospital with hypothermia. According to fire department spokesman Martin Schneider, these were the only injuries.
Numerous operations for the fire brigade
Overall, “Zeynep” left less damage than feared. Among other things, the emergency services had to go to Eilbek because part of the facing facade of a multi-storey residential building had come loose and crashed. But nobody was injured. The fire brigade had previously been called because a tree had fallen on the tracks of the S-Bahn line between Blankenese and Sülldorf and blocked the onward journey. The fire brigade had to remove fallen trees and torn branches throughout the city. The emergency services also had to deal with fallen fences, flagpoles or advertising posters, as well as parts of the roof and facade of buildings that were damaged as a result of the strong gusts. A tree fell on two parked cars in Bahrenfeld on Friday afternoon, slightly injuring a child on a bicycle.
Warning from the Bergedorf district office
Another warning came from the Bergedorf district office on Saturday: For the period between Saturday and Sunday evening, there could be flooding in the immediate vicinity of the bank in lower-lying areas of the Gose and Dove Elbe. But the situation there remained relaxed.
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Train: Weather confuses local and long-distance transport
In local and long-distance traffic, the weather whirled up the timetables. After Deutsche Bahn stopped train services in northern Germany on Friday afternoon, it did not start again on Saturday. In the north of Germany and in North Rhine-Westphalia it was severely affected until at least Monday afternoon, the company said in the afternoon. Hundreds of fallen or damaged catenary masts would have to be replaced. There are still no long-distance trains north of Dortmund, Hanover and Berlin. The train advised passengers to avoid trips to Hamburg and Bremen in particular. Travelers should focus on bahn.de, in the DB Navigator or via the free special hotline on 08000 99 66 33. Passengers who would like to postpone their trip planned for the period from February 17 to 21, 2022 can either use their already booked long-distance ticket flexibly up to and including February 28 or cancel it free of charge.
The metronome train service has also been temporarily suspended and only partially resumed on Saturday afternoon. The company announcedthat the routes between Lüneburg and Harburg and between Bremen and Harburg have been released again. From Harburg there is a connection to the S-Bahn to Hamburg Hauptbahnhof. However, there are fewer trains than usual in use.
U-Bahn and S-Bahn are running again
As a precaution, Hamburger Hochbahn limited underground traffic to the tunnel areas from Friday evening. On Saturday, the connections were resumed bit by bit. The U1 has also been running through completely since the afternoon. There were many failures on the S-Bahn due to fallen trees. In the course of Saturday, more and more sections of the route were released again. According to the S-Bahn, the S1, S21 and S31 have been running as scheduled since the afternoon. The S3 runs between Pinneberg and Buxtehude, between Buxtehude and Stade a replacement bus service has been set up.
VIDEO: Storm low “Zeynep” over Hamburg: fire brigade takes stock (5 min)
Few flight cancellations at the airport
At Hamburg Airport, the effects of the storm were limited until Friday evening, according to a spokeswoman. Only a few flights were canceled and the airport was always open. Several departures were canceled on Saturday morning.
A7 flooded – lockdown postponed
Heavy rain flooded Autobahn 7 south of the Elbe tunnel on Friday afternoon, sometimes so badly that one lane was blocked. The construction work actually planned for which the A7 was to be closed over the weekend were postponed because of the storm.
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Environment Agency warns against entering the forests
In view of the storm, the Hamburg environmental authority warns against entering the forests. Caution is advised, as some dangers emanating from trees are difficult to detect. “They can tip over even in a light wind due to the softened soil or already cracked trunks. Branches can also fall out of the crowns again and again,” it said in a statement. The forests should not be entered again until the damage has been repaired.
Game cancellations in Hamburg amateur football
Hamburg’s amateur footballers have no games this weekend. The reason for the cancellation of all games by the Hamburg Football Association (HFV) is the weather. The HFV announced this on Thursday. However, games played by the North German Football Association and the DFB are not affected. The sports facilities in the Hanseatic city have been closed by the responsible district offices
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