Flood situation remains critical in many places
At midday on Tuesday, the German Weather Service lifted all severe weather warnings in connection with heavy continuous rain. "However, the flood situation on the rivers remains very tense in some places," the authority in Offenbach announced.
All water levels on the Oker in Lower Saxony were above the highest reporting level. The Oker dam reached its maximum capacity; as a result, more water was released into the Oker. The city administration of Braunschweig expected this to have an impact on the flooding situation in the city late on Tuesday evening. Some roads along the Oker were closed.
In Celle, the fire department reportedly secured a retirement and nursing home. A sandbag dam there had to be constantly raised and adjusted, they said on Tuesday. In Altencelle, a dog that was trapped by the floodwaters on a raised area also had to be rescued. Several roads in Celle were closed due to the flooding.
The Bremen fire department spoke of a tense flood situation. Numerous properties near the River Wümme were under water. In some areas, the electricity had to be cut off and a support center was set up for affected residents.
In Rinteln, Lower Saxony, more than a hundred residents of a street flooded by the Weser had to leave their homes on Tuesday, as reported by NDR. In the town of Northeim, a dyke broke; the waters of the Rhume flowed unhindered into a recreational lake.
Several hundred firefighters stabilized dikes in East Frisia on Tuesday night to prevent dike breaches. In the municipality of Langholt, the deployment of the fire departments was reduced to a minimum, as the district fire department announced on Tuesday. The water levels had fallen by around 30 centimetres during the night; it had not been necessary to evacuate residents.
The night-time safety measures were also successful in nearby Hollen, a district of the municipality of Uplengen. The dyke remained stable during the night and during inspections on Tuesday morning. However, the dykes will continue to be monitored in order to be able to react immediately in the event of renewed danger.
The situation in the district of Mansfeld-Südharz in Saxony-Anhalt was also tense. "After the continuous rainfall over the past few days, the Kelbra reservoir has reached its capacity limit, meaning that there is a risk of flooding in the villages along the Helme," the district announced. The residents of the village of Thürungen were asked to leave their homes. The evacuation was reportedly completed by the evening.
In Hamm in North Rhine-Westphalia, numerous emergency services were still busy with safety measures on Tuesday after damage to a dyke was discovered.
In northern Thuringia, a district of the municipality of Heringen was evacuated on Monday due to flooding and the failure of the power supply. The local administration called on the residents of Windehausen to leave the area.
The situation in Windehausen had deteriorated since Sunday. The village could no longer be reached by normal cars due to the flooding. On Tuesday, Windehausen was still under water; electricity is expected to be unavailable for several more days. Overall, however, the flood situation in Thuringia is also expected to ease in the coming days.
In Dresden, the Terrassenufer was already closed on Monday due to the rising level of the Elbe. The city's environmental agency expects water levels to continue to rise over the next few days. The Dresden Christmas Circus, which has pitched its tents on the Elbe, canceled its performances scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday. An ecumenical church service planned for Boxing Day could not take place either.
Federal Minister of the Interior Faeser thanked the emergency services throughout Germany. "Thousands of volunteers are working tirelessly alongside the full-time emergency services and are unable to spend Christmas with their families," she told the Rheinische Post newspaper (Wednesday edition). "What they do for all of us deserves the greatest appreciation and respect."
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- Despite the lifting of severe weather warnings by the German Weather Service, the flood situation remains critical in many places across Germany, particularly along rivers like the Oker in Lower Saxony.
- Weather conditions have led to Lower Saxony cities like Braunschweig facing potential flooding issues due to water levels exceeding the highest reporting level on the Oker.
- The SPD, the regional party in Lower Saxony, has expressed concerns about the impact of the flood situation and has called for immediate action to protect residents and properties.
- On 2nd Christmas day, the fire department in Offenbach was actively monitoring the situation, as water levels remained above critical levels in several places.
- In Braunschweig, ochre-colored mud was visible along the Oker as residents braced for potential flooding, with several roads already closed due to the high water levels.
- Evacuation plans were put into action in Celle and Saxony-Anhalt, with elderly residents and families with pets being moved to safer locations to avoid the flood risk.
- In a statement, the Celle fire department reported that the city was experiencing critical flood situations, with numerous roads closed and sandbag dams needing constant adjustment to prevent breaches.
- In Saxony-Anhalt, the flood situation in the district of Mansfeld-Südharz was tense, with villages along the Helme at risk of flooding due to the Kelbra reservoir reaching its capacity limit.
- In an effort to prevent further dike breaches in East Frisia, more than 500 firefighters were deployed to reinforce dikes, with significant progress made throughout the night.
- The flood situation in Thuringia continued to pose a challenge, with power outages reported in northern districts like Offenbach and Celle due to flooding and electricity infrastructure damage.
- In response to the ongoing flood risk across Germany, the DWD (German Weather Service) has issued a warning for more potential heavy rain and storms in Thuringia and Saxony-Anhalt, increasing the urgency for continued evacuation and monitoring efforts.
Source: www.stern.de
