Closures, evacuations: Flood situation remains tense

Weather - Closures, evacuations: Flood situation remains tense

Days of continuous rain have posed challenges for residents and emergency services in many regions of Germany over Christmas. In Rinteln in Lower Saxony, residents were evacuated on Tuesday morning. In Windehausen in Thuringia, people had to leave their houses and apartments on Christmas Day.

According to the emergency services, the flood situation in the flooded town in northern Thuringia is now stable. The town was evacuated on Monday due to the critical situation. According to Matthias Marquardt, mayor of the town of Heringen, to which Windehausen belongs, an estimated 100 of the almost 500 inhabitants are still in the village.

Flood wave and evacuations in Lower Saxony

The situation in the district of Goslar in Lower Saxony is less stable. There, the Oker dam in the Harz Mountains has reached its maximum capacity. More water is now being released into the Oker via the overflow of the dam wall, the city administration of Braunschweig announced at midday. Instead of 16 cubic meters per second, 30 cubic meters per second are now flowing into the river. The wave is expected to arrive in the city in the late evening hours. Due to the impending Oker flood, the city of Braunschweig has closed several roads near the river.

In the town of Rinteln in the district of Schaumburg, the residents of a street directly adjacent to the town wall were evacuated this morning, according to the town council. According to NDR, 108 residents were evacuated. The cellars of the buildings in the affected street were flooded. The fire department was on site with pumps and stacking sandbags.

Lower Saxony's Minister President Stephan Weil (SPD) took a look at the flood situation in the state on Tuesday. During a visit to Northeim, where a dam had burst, he thanked the tens of thousands of helpers for their efforts over the Christmas holidays.

Falling water levels in Rhineland-Palatinate and Hesse

With a few exceptions, the water levels in rivers and streams in Rhineland-Palatinate and Saarland are falling - and this is likely to remain the case for the next few days. "The trend is downwards", said a spokesperson for the flood reporting service in Mainz. There could possibly be an increase again in the new year. "But that's still a long way off," he said. The German Weather Service was also not expecting large amounts of rain over the next few days. According to the flood forecasting center, the highest levels on the Upper Rhine were already reached on Tuesday, while the highest levels on the Middle Rhine were expected during the course of Tuesday, after which the water should recede here as well.

The flood situation is also tending to ease in Bavaria and Hesse. The Hessian State Agency for Nature Conservation, Environment and Geology (HLNUG) announced on Tuesday that, according to the forecasts, the maximum levels had largely been reached or had already passed at the gauging stations relevant to the federal state. Only the Main is still expected to peak, but according to current calculations, this will happen at most in the area of reporting level 1.

Storm warnings lifted

Nevertheless, after days of continuous rain, the DWD has lifted all of its storm warnings that were temporarily in place for several federal states. The rain had subsided or lost intensity, the DWD announced in Offenbach at midday. "No heavy precipitation is expected for the time being."

wettergefahren.de Cross-state flood portal

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1. The continuous rain in Rinteln, a town in Lower Saxony, Germany, has resulted in operational forces being deployed.
2. The police have been working tirelessly to manage the flood situation in the district of Goslar, also located in Lower Saxony.
3. Despite the rain, Matthias Marquardt, mayor of Heringen, expects the evacuated residents of Windehausen in Northern Thuringia to return home soon.
4. The operation to lower water levels in Rhineland-Palatinate and Hesse continues, with the German Weather Service forecasting no heavy precipitation in the near future.
5. The rising flood levels in Bavaria and Hesse have started to subside, according to the Hessian State Agency for Nature Conservation, Environment and Geology.
6. The operational force in Braunschweig, Lower Saxony, has been releasing excess water from the Oker dam due to the impending flood wave.
7. The flood situation in Braunschweig has led to the closure of several roads near the river, causing traffic disruptions.
8. Ochre-colored sediment can be seen in the streets of Rinteln, a sign of the flood damage in Lower Saxony.
9. The Mayor of Windehausen, in the district of Goslar, issued an evacuation order due to the critical flood situation earlier this week.
10. In Berlin, the impact of the bad weather has been minimal compared to other parts of Germany, with no significant flooding reported.
11. The continuous rain in Northern Thuringia has resulted in a blockade of several roads, causing delays in the region.
12. The flood situation in Lower Saxony has been a major concern for the authorities, with residents being evacuated from their homes due to the critical situation.

Source: www.stern.de