Flood situation remains tense: Evacuation on the Aller

Disaster pre-alert - Flood situation remains tense: Evacuation on the Aller

Closed roads and railroad lines and volumes of water flowing from full reservoirs: The flood situation in Lower Saxony remains very tense and is worsening locally. This is according to the forecast issued by the State Agency for Water Management, Coastal Defence and Nature Conservation (NLWKN) on Wednesday afternoon. A total of 71 out of 97 gauges in Lower Saxony reported high water, 40 of which reported the highest level 3.

The situation was particularly critical in the south on the Weser and in the catchment areas of the Aller, Leine and Oker. In the municipality of Winsen an der Aller, around 300 people had to leave their homes on Wednesday evening. The settlements of Westohe and Südohe were evacuated, according to the district of Celle. The water level on the streets there had risen to around 40 to 50 centimetres, so the electricity had been switched off for safety reasons. The Allertal sports hall in Winsen was set up as an emergency shelter.

In some places in the district of Verden, the situation was still threatening due to the Aller flood. "The dykes are slowly softening," said a fire department spokesperson in Langwedel early on Thursday morning. However, the rise in water levels is expected to stagnate in the near future. The fire department is using several high-pressure pumps to protect the villages. Originally planned evacuations did not have to take place, according to the spokesperson.

A 75-year-old cyclist has been rescued from the flooded area of the River Leine in Hanover. The man had ridden along the closed-off Brückstraße in the Döhren district on Wednesday afternoon despite the high water, the fire department announced in the evening. He fell off his bike and drifted about 20 meters into an adjacent forest. He finally held on to a branch and called the regional control center on his cell phone. The 75-year-old could only be located with the help of two drones. Specialists from the water rescue service rescued him.

A disaster pre-alert was triggered in the district of Heidekreis on Wednesday evening. The background to this was the tense flood situation in the joint municipalities of Ahlden, Rethem and Schwarmstedt, according to the district administration. This is currently still manageable. Although water is being released from the Oker and Innerste dams, a worsening of the flood situation in the Innerste and Oker rivers is not to be expected. However, the water levels in the lower reaches of the Aller, Leine and Oker would continue to rise, the report continued. There is a possibility that a disaster situation could arise

A disaster alert has not yet been issued in any of the districts of Lower Saxony, although the districts of Celle, Emsland, Hildesheim and Osterholz have also declared a preliminary stage. "This is called an exceptional event," said the state fire director. Among other things, the districts would then have easier access to emergency services. The town of Sarstedt in the district of Hildesheim, where the Innerste and Leine rivers meet, was particularly affected.

Lilienthal is located in the district of Osterholz, where, according to the local fire department, a dyke broke on Wednesday afternoon. The affected area was evacuated by the emergency services, the fire department announced on Facebook. Further streets were evacuated on Saturday night. It was not initially known how many people were affected. It was not possible to estimate at the moment whether the measures taken on a soaked dyke would guarantee lasting stability, according to the fire department's hazard information. Residents were taken to emergency accommodation in a gymnasium by a shuttle service. A streetcar line is no longer running due to its proximity to the area of operation. The endangered area may not be entered. Lilienthal borders on Bremen.

Due to the heavy rainfall in the Harz Mountains, more water than usual has been drained from the Okertalsperre and Innerstetalsperre reservoirs since Tuesday night. When the reservoirs are completely full, the so-called emergency spillways open automatically. The situation in Braunschweig has not worsened despite the increased inflow of water into the Oker. "The flood situation in Braunschweig has stabilized," said a city spokesperson.

The rail link between Oldenburg and Osnabrück is restricted due to the flooding. There are also problems due to fallen trees, said a spokesman for the railroad.

Firefighters from the Rhineland are assisting towns in Lower Saxony with flood protection. Helpers from the Bonn fire department are currently on their way to the joint municipality of Flotwedel in the district of Celle with a mobile flood protection system, the fire department announced in Bonn on Wednesday. In the municipality, villages on the Aller were to be protected due to persistently high water levels. The mobile flood protection system works like an artificial dyke.

NLWKN situation report