Violent storms with hail and heavy rain continue into the night across the north and east of Bavaria. are affected according to a severe weather warning from the German Weather Service (DWD) [externer Link] especially the districts of Lower Bavaria, Upper Palatinate and Upper, Middle and Lower Franconia.
The DWD warned in particular of heavy rain and hail. There is also a risk of lightning strikes, falling trees or scaffolding, landslides and rapid flooding of streets, underpasses and cellars. 40 to 60 liters of rain could fall within a short period of time, according to the DWD. In some places, even 80 liters within a few hours cannot be ruled out. The thunderstorms could bring small hail and stormy gusts of up to 70 km/h.
Some of the effects of the heavy rain are already noticeable: streets were flooded in Lower and Upper Franconia, and in Upper Palatinate, masses of water swept away cars. According to police, no one has been seriously injured so far.
People in Upper Palatinate freed from houses
In the Upper Palatinate, the rain caused severe flooding in some areas. In the Amberg-Sulzbach district – in the municipality of Kastl – the masses of water caused cars to drift across the streets. Several people were trapped in their homes. No one was injured, said a spokesman for the Amberg Integrated Control Center. Those stuck have been freed. In the center of the town, the Lauterach river had overflowed its banks.
The cars that were swept away by the floods were washed up on a bridge, the spokesman said. There they ensured that the water accumulated additionally. The vehicles would now be recovered using heavy equipment – such as excavators and wheel loaders. Over 220 rescue workers from the fire department, police, BRK, THW, water rescue service and DLRG are on duty.
“Minor disaster” declared
Late in the evening (as of 11:30 p.m.) water was still pouring out of the sewer system in Kastl. Three cars and a van were simply washed away: A van was stuck overnight in the Lauterach under a bridge. The vehicle was secured with ropes and, according to a police spokesperson, will only be recovered when the situation is no longer so dangerous.
There were no injuries, said Dominik Lehmeier, press spokesman for the Amberg police, to BR. He was not yet able to provide any information about damage to buildings. The so-called minor disaster according to Article 15 of the Bavarian Disaster Protection Act was declared in order to facilitate the organization of the rescue services on site under a joint operational command.
Amberg district administrator shaken by the force of the flood
The emergency services are pumping out houses and carrying out exploratory trips along the Lauterach to determine possible damage. A drone is also used to obtain a picture of the situation. The disaster control management group in the Amberg-Sulzbach district office took over management of the operation.
District Administrator Richard Reisinger (CSU) told the BR that he had never experienced such a flood in the Amberg-Sulzbach district “in terms of its rapid force.” One hopes to get away with a “black eye”. We will have to learn lessons from this and ensure that rivers “have space and can flow away quickly and unhindered”.