Weather
Flooding after heavy, continuous rain in Saarland
Firefighters move through floodwaters in Saarbrücken. photo
© Harald Tittel/dpa
Major damage situation in several districts and in the state capital: Large amounts of rain fell in Saarland in just a few hours. Houses had to be evacuated and rescue workers were on constant duty.
When it comes to cities, the situation is tense in the state capital Saarbrücken, in Eppelborn, Neunkirchen, St. Wendel, Saarlouis and Merzig. In some places, residents had to be evacuated from apartments on isolated streets. In some cases, old people’s homes were also affected, such as one in Marpingen. In Saarbrücken-Russhütte the situation was “precarious” because the current speed was so high that the fire department had to call off and rescuers from the German Red Cross were called in.
Fortunately, no people have been harmed so far, said the spokesman for the Interior Ministry on Friday evening. 50,000 sandbags from the state reserve have been released. It is being examined whether help should be requested from surrounding federal states. Later in the evening, the spokesman said the situation was still tense: “It’s still a long way from being able to think about cleaning up.”
The state capital Saarbrücken, as well as several districts, declared a major disaster. Several buildings in the city had to be evacuated. The city set up alternative accommodation in schools and a citizens’ telephone. Those affected were asked to only take the essentials with them. People also left their houses in several streets in Lebach (Saarlouis district) because of rising water levels, as a dpa reporter reported on site.
“We have evacuations everywhere,” said a spokesman for the situation center in Saarbrücken. “It’s raining everywhere, nationwide.” The population was asked to avoid spending time outdoors at all costs and to avoid flooded or endangered sections of traffic routes.
People rescued with boats
The Neunkirchen district announced in the evening that all towns and communities in the district were “largely affected by the heavy rain events”. This is particularly true for Ottweiler, where the Blies is in danger of being overrun. In Wemmetsweiler, people had to be rescued from their homes by boat. The fire department in Blieskastel (Saarpfalz district) also reported flooded cellars and streets as well as landslides. “The soils no longer absorb rain,” said the spokesman.
There is an extreme risk of flooding, explained the flood reporting center. The State Office for Environmental and Occupational Safety said it was a flood event that occurs every 20 to 50 years. Large-scale flooding of built-up areas as well as agricultural and forestry areas could occur.
The Saarbrücken state police headquarters also said in the evening that the all-clear could not be given. By 7 p.m., around 750 police operations had been counted, as well as well over 1,000 rescue services. Nothing was known of any injuries until the evening. “Many people still have to deal with the consequences if they cannot go into their homes,” said a spokesman. Numerous roads also remain closed.
The German Weather Service (DWD) warned of heavy, continuous rain until Saturday night, especially in the areas west of the Rhine. After that the rain should slowly subside.
Train traffic restricted
According to the railway company Vlexx, train traffic in Saarland was severely restricted, and this also applied to bus traffic. Some of the tracks were washed out and trees that had fallen into overhead lines were also the cause.
The DWD measured more than 100 liters of rain per square meter in less than 24 hours in some places. A DWD meteorologist said in the evening that rivers and infrastructure were not prepared for this heavy rain. For comparison: In the entire month of April, around 74 liters of rain per square meter were measured in Saarland – and this was a sixth more precipitation than normal in that month. According to the DWD, 107 liters per square meter fell in Saarbrücken-Ensheim and Berus in the Saarlouis district by 7 p.m. In Saarland, 60 to 100 liters per square meter were commonly measured. As a result, the river levels rose quickly.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) canceled an election campaign appearance in Saarland planned for Saturday. Instead, he will get an idea of the situation on site in Saarland together with Prime Minister Anke Rehlinger (SPD), a government spokesman said in Saarbrücken in the evening.
In neighboring Rhineland-Palatinate, the Trier-Saarburg district as well as the southern Palatinate and the cities of Trier, Zweibrücken and Ludwigshafen were particularly affected by the continuous rain on Friday. Cellars and streets were full and trees fell over, as the coordination office of the Supervisory and Services Authority (ADD) reported. No one was initially injured. Many smaller streams and rivers overflowed their banks.
In Schoden an der Saar in the Trier-Saarburg district, around 220 people were told to leave their homes as a precaution because of the risk of flooding. As the district administration announced on Friday evening, the residents should initially be accommodated in a gym in Saarburg. The water level in the Saar had previously risen so much due to the constant rain that there were fears that the embankment would be flooded. Helpers wanted to try to stabilize the dam with sandbags. “In almost all places along the Saar, streets and buildings are flooded, and in many communities smaller bodies of water are overflowing their banks,” said the district authority.