Flooding - Floods in Germany - these maps show water levels and warnings
The fear of flooding in Germany is growing shortly before New Year's Eve. After the continuous rainfall around Christmas, there is currently less precipitation across the country. However, the dykes are so soft that even short new periods of rain would be enough to exacerbate the flood situation. The dykes are "as soft as pudding", as was reported on the NDR-Info radio program on Thursday morning, where the threat of flooding on the Aller and Weser rivers in Lower Saxony was the main topic.
However, the situation is dicey in many regions of Germany: areas along the Elbe in Saxony and Saxony-Anhalt and along the Weser in North Rhine-Westphalia are also affected.
In Dresden, the Elbe is expected to exceed the six-meter mark on Thursday morning. In order to protect the state capital of Saxony-Anhalt, Magdeburg, from flooding, the Pretzien weir will be raised on Thursday morning. The weir, which is around 135 meters long, was last opened in June 2013. It will now also ensure that a third of the Elbe water flows into a 21-kilometre-long channel around Schönebeck, Magdeburg and other places in the Elbe lowlands until it flows back into the Elbe.
The map of the cross-state flood portal shows where flooding can be expected today. In the areas marked in red, there is an official warning for major flooding, while regions marked in orange are subject to a conventional flood warning. In the dashed areas there is an advance warning from the responsible authorities. In green regions, you can breathe easy. An all-clear has been issued here. There is no warning in white areas. No data can currently be collected for North Rhine-Westphalia.
Great danger of flooding in Lower Saxony
The highest flood alert level 4 is expected to apply to the Helme over the next few days. In Lower Saxony, the State Agency for Water Management, Coastal Defence and Nature Conservation is expecting water levels to continue to rise, particularly on the Middle Weser and the upper reaches of the Aller, Leine and Oker. According to the local fire department, a dyke broke in the municipality of Lilienthal near Bremen and the affected area was evacuated on Wednesday afternoon. Further roads were evacuated on Thursday night due to a soaked dyke.
In neighboring Bremen, the flood situation in the Borgfeld district is similarly tense. Interior Senator Ulrich Mäurer (SPD) wants to see the situation for himself there on Thursday. In the Bremen district of Timmersloh, the dykes could be reworked so that no more evacuations had to take place there, as a fire department spokesman said early on Thursday morning.
Around 300 people had to leave their homes in the municipality of Winsen in Lower Saxony due to the Aller flood. The settlements of Westohe and Südohe had to be evacuated, the district of Celle announced on Wednesday evening. The water level on the streets there had risen to around 40 to 50 centimetres, so the electricity had been switched off for safety reasons. The Allertal sports hall in Winsen is currently being used as an emergency shelter. In some places in the district of Verden, a "threatening situation" continued to prevail on Thursday night due to the flooding and softening dykes, according to a fire department spokesperson.
Several districts in Lower Saxony declared a preliminary stage of disaster alert - this means that the district administrations have easier access to aid workers, among other things. According to state fire director Dieter Rohrberg, the town of Sarstedt in the district of Hildesheim, where the Innerste and Leine rivers meet, was particularly affected.
Short-term relief expected in NRW
According to the state agency, water levels on the upper reaches of the Weser from Hann. Münden to Höxter in North Rhine-Westphalia fell on Wednesday, but rising water levels were forecast for the middle Weser. At the Drakenburg gauge in the district of Nienburg, the previous record level from 1981, namely 8.34 meters, could even be exceeded, it said. In North Rhine-Westphalia, the numerous reservoirs also remain under observation.
Some are hoping for short-term relief: according to the forecast of the German Weather Service (DWD), it should remain largely dry in Germany on Thursday. This could ease the flood situation on some rivers somewhat. However, according to the DWD, the risk of heavier rainfall will then increase again. "Especially in the west and northwest, the weather models indicate a lot of wet weather, which will probably cause the river levels to rise again quickly," said a meteorologist on Wednesday.
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The Middle Weser in Lower Saxony is also experiencing severe flooding, with the State Agency predicting continued water level rises. The highest flood alert level 4 is expected for the Helme in the near future. In Magdeburg, Saxony-Anhalt, efforts are being made to prevent flooding by raising the Pretzien weir and redirecting a third of the Elbe water into a channel. Despite less precipitation across Germany, the soft dykes remain a concern, as even short periods of rain could exacerbate the flood situation, particularly along the Elbe in Saxony and Saxony-Anhalt, and along the Weser in North Rhine-Westphalia. In Dresden, the Elbe is expected to exceed the six-meter mark, and the fear of flooding is growing in Germany before New Year's Eve.
Source: www.stern.de
