Weather - Danger of flooding: town in Thuringia evacuated
Persistent rain and soaked soils continue to pose a risk of flooding in many areas of Germany. The German Weather Service (DWD) continues to warn of persistent rain in several regions.
The town of Windehausen (Nordhausen district) in northern Thuringia was particularly badly affected. The flood situation there worsened to such an extent that the entire district of Heringen, which has just under 500 inhabitants, had to be evacuated on Christmas Day. "The situation is very threatening, I've never seen anything like it in the Goldene Aue," said the mayor of Heringen, Matthias Marquardt (Left Party), to the German Press Agency.
The water was up to one meter high in the town in places. There was no electricity, no access road and no landline telephony, the mayor said, describing the critical situation. In addition, the toilets were no longer working due to the lack of drains. Residents were therefore urgently advised to leave their homes. However, the mayor emphasized that people would not be taken from their homes by police force.
The floods also caused tension in Lower Saxony. In the district of Leer, hundreds of emergency services battled against the masses of water on Tuesday night. In the municipality of Uplengen, the Hollener Ehe dyke was breached in two places and was also softened over a length of almost 500 meters, said district fire brigade spokesman Dominik Janßen. However, 450 emergency personnel and hundreds of volunteers were able to stabilize the dyke with sandbags.
In the municipality of Hatten in the district of Oldenburg, a dyke also became unstable. The residents of two streets had to be evacuated, the fire department announced on Tuesday night. It was not initially known how many people were affected. The stability of the dyke was to be assessed again on Tuesday morning. Until then, the dyke is to be stabilized with sandbags. A dyke breach is still considered unlikely.
The authorities warned of a further worsening of the flood situation in the Oker and Innerste river basins. As further rain is forecast in the Harz until Tuesday morning, a third flood wave is expected in the tributaries to the reservoirs. This would fill the Harz dams to such an extent that more water would probably have to be released, which would then lead to a significant worsening of the flood situation, according to a statement.
Warning of continuous rain and storm surges
The German Weather Service predicted further persistent rain in several regions, especially from the western low mountain ranges to the Harz Mountains, according to a DWD storm warning issued late Monday evening. It would also be stormy in some places. During the night, there should be strong gusts, including gale-force winds in the north-west, which will spread northwards during the course of the day. Floods are expected in streams and rivers. In addition to flooding, landslides could also occur. The majority of the country will remain under the influence of mild and very humid air masses.
The Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency (BSH) warned of storm surges in the Weser region and on the North Sea coast of Lower Saxony. Specifically, Bremen, Bremerhaven, Elsfleth, Brake and Rechtenfleth on the Weser and Wilhelmshaven on the North Sea were named.
The flood situation also remained tense in parts of Saxony-Anhalt, Saxony and North Rhine-Westphalia.
Rail traffic on the route between Hanover and Magdeburg is expected to be affected until Wednesday (December 27). IC trains will be diverted in both directions, causing delays of around 30 minutes, Deutsche Bahn announced on its website. The reason for this is undermined tracks on the route from Magdeburg to Helmstedt.
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- Despite the warnings from the DWD, some residents in Northern Thuringia, like those in Nordhausen, chose to ignore the risk of flooding due to the bad weather.
- The Lower Saxony authorities are urging residents near the rivers Oker and Innerste to be on high alert, given the worsening flood situation.
- The German Press Agency reported that the mayor of Windehausen, Matthias Marquardt, urged residents to leave their homes due to the critical flood situation, stressing that no force would be used by the police.
- The constant rain has caused the streets of Nordhausen to become empty, leaving residents without access to electricity and landline telephony.
- The flood risk in Germany is not limited to Thuringia and Lower Saxony, as the German Weather Service continues to warn of persistent rain and potential storm surges along the North Sea coast.
- In the town of Nordhausen, the flooding was so severe that it led to the failure of the town's toilets, making it essential for residents to evacuate their homes.
- The authorities in Nordhausen are working to assess the damage caused by the floods and to prepare for potential further flooding, given the continuous rain forecast for the region.
- In Berlin, the Christmas celebrations were marred by unrelated incidents of police violence, which drew the attention of many German newspapers, include the German Press Agency.
- The German Maritime and Hydrographic Agency (BSH) has issued warnings of storm surges along the North Sea coast of Lower Saxony, urging residents to take extra precautions.
- The flood situation in Thuringia remains a concern, as the authorities continue to monitor the weather forecasts and work to mitigate the impact of the persistent rain and flooding in the region.
Source: www.stern.de
