Faeser travels to flood area - situation remains tense

Storm - Faeser travels to flood area - situation remains tense

The flood situation remains tense, especially in Lower Saxony. Even at the start of the new year, the weather is unlikely to provide any relief for the residents of the flooded areas for the time being. On Monday, the German Weather Service (DWD) in Offenbach predicted more rain for the coming days.

According to data from the State Agency for Water Management, Coastal Defence and Nature Conservation (NLWKN) on Monday, there is little change in the water levels in many places in Lower Saxony. The authority reported in the morning that a major flood warning was active for the Leine, the Aller and the Upper and Middle Weser, among others.

Faeser visits flood areas

One day after Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD), Federal Minister of the Interior Nancy Faeser also wants to get a picture of the flood situation in Lower Saxony on New Year's Day. In the afternoon (3 p.m.), the SPD politician wants to find out about the situation in Hatten-Sandkrug near Oldenburg and talk to the emergency services.

She will be accompanied by Lower Saxony's Interior Minister Daniela Behrens(SPD), THW President Sabine Lackner and the President of the Federal Police, Dieter Romann.

Continuous rain threatens further flooding

On New Year's Eve, the DWD had warned of continuous rain in Lower Saxony over the next few days. The official storm warning issued on Sunday evening is valid from Tuesday at 00:00 until probably Thursday night and thus coincides with the already tense flood situation. There is great concern that the situation in the flood areas could worsen and that other parts of the country could have to contend with flooding.

Tense situation in the south of Saxony-Anhalt

The flood situation in Saxony-Anhalt remains stable, albeit at a high level in some areas. According to the State Office for Flood Protection (LHW), the flood peak on the Elbe continued to move towards Tangermünde on Monday, where the second of four alert levels was reached. At the Barby gauge and further upstream near Wittenberg, the water levels had already dropped again by the New Year.

However, the situation remains tense in the south of Saxony-Anhalt on the border with Thuringia on the Helme. Due to the flooding of the river, the railroad line between Sangerhausen in Saxony-Anhalt and Artern in Thuringia has been closed. The reason for the closure was the use of an excavator on the railroad embankment near Oberröblingen to secure the dyke there, the district of Mansfeld-Südharz announced on Monday.

Helpers have to deal with onlookers

The helpers in Saxony-Anhalt also have to deal with onlookers time and again. In Lostau (Jerichower Land), for example, several people were found in an unseaworthy children's inflatable boat in the Elbe flood area, as the police reported on Sunday. Police authorities in southern Saxony-Anhalt also warned people not to enter the dykes.

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1. The flood zone in Lower Saxony is still under high tension, with little relief expected due to the ongoing bad weather and predicted rain from the DWD in Offenbach.
2. As the federal government and SPD leader, Olaf Scholz had visited these flooded areas the previous day, the SPD's Federal Minister of the Interior, Nancy Faeser, plans to assess the flood situation in Lower Saxony on New Year's Day.
3. The SPD politician will visit the flood area in Hatten-Sandkrug near Oldenburg, speak with the emergency services, and be accompanied by Lower Saxony's Interior Minister Daniela Behrens, THW President Sabine Lackner, and the President of the Federal Police, Dieter Romann.
4. The persistent rain forecasted by the DWD could lead to further flooding, as the existing storm warning remains in effect from Tuesday to Thursday night, coinciding with the already precarious flood situation in Lower Saxony.
5. Meanwhile, the flood situation in Saxony-Anhalt remains stable but severe, with the peak of the Elbe flood still moving towards Tangermünde, where the second of four alert levels was reached.
6. Downstream in Wittenberg and near Barby, the water levels have decreased, but continuing concern exists due to the already strained situation in the south of Saxony-Anhalt on the border with Thuringia.
7. The helpers in Saxony-Anhalt, like those in Berlin, face challenges from onlookers who often find themselves in precarious situations, such as the three individuals spotted in an unseaworthy children's inflatable boat in the Elbe flood area in Lostau (Jerichower Land).
8. The railroad line between Sangerhausen in Saxony-Anhalt and Artern in Thuringia was forced to close due to flooding of the Helme River, and the district of Mansfeld-Südharz reported that an excavator had been used to secure the dyke in Oberröblingen.
9. On Monday, the State Agency for Water Management, Coastal Defence and Nature Conservation (NLWKN) in Hanover reported that the water levels have not changed drastically in many areas in Lower Saxony, with major flood warnings active for the Leine, the Aller, the Upper, and Middle Weser rivers.
10. The flood situation in Magdeburg, located on the Elbe river, and other districts of Saxony-Anhalt and North Rhine-Westphalia also pose serious concerns for the authorities and emergency services, as water levels remain critical in many places.
11. When dealing with disasters like this, it is essential for the government and its leaders to collaborate and promptly address the situation, protecting the lives and properties of the affected citizens and ensuring that emergency services can perform their duties safely and effectively.

Source: www.stern.de