In many places, anxious looks are still directed at full reservoirs, soggy dikes and sandbag barriers. In some regions, however, the authorities are giving the all-clear.
In some flood areas the situation is easing, in others the most critical moments are yet to come. The highest water levels of the flood wave on the Elbe are expected during the day on Wednesday. The fight against flooding is also in full swing in southern Saxony-Anhalt.
Climate change makes extreme weather events more likely. Potsdam climate researcher Stefan Rahmstorf wrote on
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Here is an overview of affected flood regions in Germany:
Saxony
The flooding of the Elbe in Dresden is approaching the second highest alert level of three. The relevant water level of six meters will probably be reached in the afternoon. On Wednesday morning, 5.86 meters were measured in Dresden, as the State Flood Center in Dresden announced. The city of Dresden had already declared alert level three on Tuesday evening.
It was originally expected that the six-meter mark would be reached in the morning. There is a slight delay, said the spokeswoman for the state flood center, Karin Bernhardt. The increase in water levels depends on the melting of snow in the Giant Mountains. In Schöne on the Czech border, alert level three is already in effect with a water level of 6.28 meters.
According to the flood control center, flood warning levels apply to all rivers in Saxony with the exception of the Upper White Elster.
Saxony-Anhalt
In order to protect Magdeburg and surrounding communities from flooding, the Pretzien weir was built. It ensures that around a third of the Elbe’s water is diverted into a 21-kilometer-long canal around Magdeburg and Schönebeck before flowing back into the river. The weir consists of 324 so-called rifle boards, each weighing 100 kilograms. The opening will begin on Thursday around 10 a.m., the state agency for flood protection and water management announced on Wednesday. This means that the important flood protection system is being used again for the first time in ten years. The Pretziener Weir was last opened in June 2013.
The Mansfeld-Südharz district does not expect the flood situation on the Helme to become significantly worse. “At this point it can be assumed that no local areas will be flooded and therefore no further evacuations will be necessary,” the district announced on Wednesday morning.
According to current information from the State Office for Flood Protection and Water Management (LHW), the capacity limit of the Kelbra reservoir was reached during the night. The inflow into the reservoir is declining, so a moderate increase in the water level of the Helme is expected over the course of Wednesday. The highest alert level four remains.
The dike guards from the volunteer fire department and LHW are still in action. High water levels are expected to continue in the coming days. Fire departments and administrations monitored the situation in order to initiate further preparations and measures if necessary.
Thuringia
As water levels have fallen, the flood situation in Thuringia has eased significantly. This emerges from a status report from the State Office for the Environment, Mining and Nature Conservation on Wednesday. Water levels fell everywhere, it says.
In flooded Windehausen in northern Thuringia, a crisis team is advising on what to do next in the town. Above all, it is a question of whether and when people can go back into their homes, said a spokesman. Windehausen in the Nordhausen district was largely evacuated on Christmas Day and the residents were brought to safety. According to the spokesman, there was still no electricity in the area on Wednesday morning.
Lower Saxony
The city of Rinteln an der Weser has canceled the evaluation of a road due to the threat of flooding. The city administration said residents have been able to go back into their homes since Wednesday morning. Fire brigade forces secured the road on Wednesday night and set up a flood protection system provided by the state. More than 100 residents of the affected street were evacuated on Tuesday because a dam was in danger of giving way.
Days of continuous rain caused a tense flood situation in large parts of Lower Saxony over the holidays. Numerous rivers overflowed their banks and transformed the surrounding area into lake landscapes. Prime Minister Stephan Weil said on Tuesday evening: “The flood situation in Lower Saxony is very tense across the country.” The Oker Dam in the Harz is more than 100 percent full. More than twice as much water is released into the Oker via the overflow of the dam than on normal days. Despite the rain easing, the authorities do not expect any relief in the next few days.
Hesse
The flood situation has also eased in Hesse. “With a general calming of the weather, the flood situation in Hesse is gradually easing slightly today,” said the Hessian State Office for Nature Conservation, Environment and Geology (HLNUG) on Wednesday. There is a tendency for water levels to fall in many places. According to the authorities, water levels in the Werra and Weser are currently high. They are expected to remain at a high level in the next few days with only a slow downward trend. Overall, the HLNUG expects the situation to continue to ease. However, greater rainfall is expected again at the turn of the year, which could lead to a further rise in water levels, it was said.
Rhineland-Palatinate
The situation in Rhineland-Palatinate has continued to ease. There is currently no longer a flood situation, said a spokesman for the flood reporting service in Mainz on Wednesday morning. Only on the Rhine, Lahn and Sieg are the levels still above flooding, which statistically occurs every two years. “But we have falling trends everywhere.” There could possibly be an increase again in the new year, but no dramatic situation is expected.
Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg
In Bavaria, Franconia, Upper Palatinate and Lower Bavaria were particularly affected by the floods. Flooded meadows, streets and parking lots were part of the landscape in many districts over the holidays. In addition to the security measures, emergency services also went on relief missions. For example, to full basements, but also to a pensioner who ignored several barriers in his car and drove into the water. Since Tuesday, the situation has noticeably eased.
This also applies to the Neckar, Kocher and Jagst in Baden-Württemberg. The Main near Wertheim in the Main-Tauber district could still reach its water level peak on Wednesday, but there is no risk of flooding here.