Continued danger from flooding in the east and north

Storm - Continued danger from flooding in the east and north

The flood situation is keeping many people in eastern and northern Germany on tenterhooks. To defuse the situation in the Magdeburg area, the State Office for Flood Protection opened the approximately 135-metre-long Pretzien weir on Thursday - this means that around a third of the Elbe water is now being diverted past the two towns through a canal before it flows back into the Elbe.

Several hundred people watched the event on the surrounding dykes in the morning. The weir was last opened in June 2013.

Elbe level in Dresden before the six-meter mark

The water levels in Saxony's rivers are now falling again - with one exception. According to the latest forecast, hydrologists do not expect the Elbe to fall until Friday, as a spokesperson for the State Office for the Environment said. "An elongated flood crest is forming at the Ústí nad Labem gauge and the water level will only rise a few centimetres by this afternoon ... rise," it said. It will then move downstream. At the Dresden gauge, 5.92 meters were last registered, and the six-meter mark is expected to be just reached there in the evening. Two meters is normal.

Water had already been released from the Kelbra dam in Saxony-Anhalt. This caused the water level of the Helme river to rise and, according to the authorities, is now endangering the district of Nikolrausrieth in Thuringia. According to the Ministry of the Interior, emergency services are building sandbags on the banks of the river to prevent the water from overflowing into the small village with around 30 houses. The authorities in both federal states are discussing whether a dyke should be opened to divert water onto surrounding fields.

First animals evacuated from Serengeti Park

The first animals have been evacuated from the Serengeti Park in Hodenhagen, Lower Saxony. A spokeswoman said that water had leaked into some of the stables of the jungle safari with more than 200 monkeys. Lemurs, varis, prairie dogs and meerkats had to leave their enclosures and were now housed elsewhere on the grounds north of Hanover.

Large parts of the Serengeti Park Hodenhagen are flooded. The first animals had to be evacuated.

According to the park, large parts of the grounds are flooded and in some cases cannot be reached at all or can only be reached with Unimogs or tractors. In the north-east of the site, administrative and utility buildings, restaurants, stores and some of the lodges are surrounded by water.

Residents can return to Thuringia

The residents of the village of Windehausen in Thuringia, which was evacuated due to flooding, can return to their homes. Mayor Matthias Marquardt said that he had lifted the evacuation order in the morning. The reasons for the evacuation no longer applied now that the power supply and sewage system were working again. The inhabitants of the district could return - but initially only with shuttle buses, not yet with their own vehicles.

Windehausen was flooded at Christmas by meltwater from the River Zorge and groundwater that had been pushed upwards. According to the mayor, the water was around 70 centimetres high on the streets on Christmas Day. 400 of the 500 residents responded to the call for voluntary evacuation.

Firefighters' association: residents steal sandbags from dykes

Fire departments are complaining about the theft of sandbags during the ongoing flood operations. "Sandbags that are installed on dykes are being taken away by residents because they don't have the sandbags themselves to protect their homes," said Karl-Heinz Banse, President of the German Fire Brigade Association.

He spoke of many problems during the operations. "There are insults, there are discussions with those affected, why do they start pumping out the water in street A first and not in street B? Why does my neighbor have the fire department in the basement before I do," said Banse. "There are lots and lots of arguments." The fire department also had to contend with a lot of onlookers.

According to Banse, thousands of firefighters have been working in various parts of Germany since Christmas Eve. "We have a flood situation that we haven't experienced for many years."

More roads evacuated after dyke breaches near Bremen

After a dyke burst in Lilienthal near Bremen, adjacent roads were successfully evacuated. "The measures were relatively calm", the municipality announced on Thursday night. After an initial evacuation on Wednesday evening, further streets were evacuated during the night "for urgent safety reasons", according to the fire department. People were accommodated with friends and relatives or in a prepared gymnasium. The electricity was then switched off in the evacuated area.

Around 300 people had to leave their homes in the municipality of Winsen in Lower Saxony due to the flooding of the Aller. The water level on some streets had risen to around 40 to 50 centimetres, so the electricity had been switched off for safety reasons, according to the district of Celle. In some places in the district of Verden, a "threatening situation" continued to prevail on Thursday night due to the high water and softening dykes, according to a fire department spokesperson.

Disoriented man rescued from floodwater

A disoriented man was rescued from the floods of the Wümme near Rotenburg in Lower Saxony. He had gotten his car stuck in the river, which had burst its banks, on Wednesday, police said on Thursday. Police officers rescued the 84-year-old man from Schleswig-Holstein together with a witness who had made the emergency call. The man was reportedly suffering from severe hypothermia and was taken to hospital. His state of health then stabilized.

According to the state authorities, the 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.

Rainfall in sight - "Every drop is actually too much"

There are still no signs of a complete easing of the flood situation. Meteorologist Marcel Schmid from the German Weather Service (DWD) said on Thursday morning in Offenbach that overall, not as much rain is expected over the next few days as around Christmas. "However, every drop is actually one too many."

On Thursday, Schmid did not expect any new precipitation in the flood areas, especially in eastern and northern Germany. On Friday, however, it could rain from time to time - especially in the Harz, Bergisches Land, Sauerland and Siegerland regions. According to the meteorologist, only isolated showers are forecast for Saturday in Germany. On Sunday, however, it could rain more frequently at times.

"There will be no onset of winter"

And the start of the new year for Germany's weather? "It will tend to get a little cooler from Monday. But there will be no onset of winter," said meteorologist Schmid. There could be some snow at higher altitudes.

Overview of the state flood center Saxony on the current situation Warning messages Lower Saxony by region Flood news center Thuringia DWD forecast