Weather - Continuous rain and floods in NRW: Woman rescued from car
On Saturday, the persistent rainfall kept residents along rivers and streams in parts of North Rhine-Westphalia busy. The authorities in several parts of the state are preparing for flooding and waters bursting their banks.
The Düsseldorf district government sent firefighters from the surrounding districts and towns to Oberhausen to provide support. The authorities there are concerned about a softened dyke on the Ruhr, as the fire department announced on Saturday.
By midday, more than 300 firefighters and aid organizations had been deployed. The area was secured with sandbags as a precautionary measure. However, according to the fire department, there was no danger to local residents. The authorities are also keeping an eye on the high water levels in East Westphalia on the Weser and in Münsterland on the Ems.
Meanwhile, an official storm warning from the German Weather Service is still in place for parts of the country until Sunday. Meteorologists are warning of flooding in streams and rivers as well as road flooding and landslides due to the persistent rain. Between 40 and 60 liters of rain per square meter could fall by Christmas Eve.
While the situation on the Rhine in Cologne and Düsseldorf remained relatively relaxed as forecast, the emergency services had to intervene in Westphalia. In a suburb of Münster on Saturday, the fire department rescued a woman from her car, which had ended up in the flooded area of the Werse, a tributary of the Ems.
In the Ruhr region, the continuous rain caused problems for the railroads on one line. In Herdecke, tracks on the line between Dortmund and Hagen were washed out. Buses took customers to their destinations.
According to the State Agency for Nature, Environment and Consumer Protection (Lanuv), 42 water levels exceeded the first warning threshold on Saturday, with level 2 being reached at 16 measuring points. No water level in NRW reached the third and highest warning level on the day before Christmas Eve.
On Friday, the state office had described the water levels in the catchment areas of the Ems (Wolbeck), the Lippe (Nordborchen, Bentfeld, Kesseler 3 station, Westtünnen), the Berkel (Stadtlohn-Schanzring) and the Vechte (Wettringen B70) as likely candidates for level 3.
This warning threshold indicates the danger that built-up areas could be flooded to a greater extent. The local authorities then decide what measures need to be taken. Precautionary measures include closing roads or laying sandbags.
Railroad for undercutting Measured data Current water level Situation report
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Source: www.stern.de
