District in Saxony-Anhalt declares a state of disaster
While the water levels in Saxony are falling, the situation in neighboring Saxony-Anhalt remains critical. The district of Mansfeld-Südharz declares a state of emergency due to the masses of water. A boat carrying four people capsizes on the Elbe during a rescue operation.
The situation in the flooded areas in southern Saxony-Anhalt remains critical. The district of Mansfeld-Südharz has declared a state of disaster due to the flooding. The decision was justified by the long duration of the flood defense measures, announced district administrator André Schröder. The Kelbra dam on the state border with Thuringia has been drained in a controlled manner for several days because it was threatening to overflow. As a result, the water level of the Helme has risen sharply.
On Thursday evening, the authorities opened a dyke on the river so that the water can run off into open fields in the direction of Thuringia. The mayor of the municipality of Südharz, Peter Kohl, described the situation as critical. According to the district, there are currently no plans to evacuate people or call in the German Armed Forces.
The water levels in some rivers rose again due to rainfall last night. According to the State Office for Flood Protection (LHW), the showery rainfall was heavier than initially forecast. Because the ground is already saturated, this has led to rising water levels in some areas.
Firefighter rescues four people from the Elbe
During a rescue operation in the Wittenberg district on Friday, a boat with several people on board capsized. A grandfather, two grandchildren aged nine and twelve and their mother fell into the seven-degree Elbe, according to the water police today. The grandparents' house in the flooded area in Dabrun could no longer be reached by car - so the family tried to use the grandpa's boat to take care of the grandparents.
For reasons as yet unexplained, water got into the boat, causing it to tip over. A firefighter who happened to be nearby noticed the accident and quickly rushed to help with another boat. All four people were rescued and taken to hospital with severe hypothermia.
In a village in the Kyffhäuserkreis district of Thuringia, helpers were horrified to discover that unknown persons had stolen 40 meters of sandbags from the protective wall along the Helme river. According to the district office, 20 meters of the protective wall near Mönchpfiffel-Nikolausrieth had been completely removed. No details of the perpetrators were initially available. The district office intends to press charges.
Meanwhile, the flood waters of the Elbe in Saxony continue to recede. A water level of 5.30 meters was measured at the Dresden gauge in the morning. A day earlier it had been 5.92 meters. The normal level is around 2 meters. In the state capital, as well as in Schöna on the Czech border and downstream in Riesa, the alert level was still 2. Hydrologists expect water levels to continue to fall. There were no more flood warnings for the other river basins in Saxony.
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The international community has shown support for the affected areas in Saxony-Anhalt, as the flooding continues to cause significant damage. Despite the receding water levels in Saxony, the district of Saxony-Anhalt, specifically Mansfeld-Südharz, continues to struggle with the aftermath of the flood.
Source: www.ntv.de
