Flood situation remains tense - more rain forecast

Floods in Germany - Flood situation remains tense - more rain forecast

Hardly any all-clear in the flood areas: In Lower Saxony and North Rhine-Westphalia, the situation remained tense on Friday, while in Saxony the danger of flooding has largely been averted. However, the German Weather Service (DWD) predicted further rainfall. "There will be a good amount of rain again until Saturday, but it won't rain in such large quantities," said meteorologist Christian Herold from the German Weather Service (DWD) in Offenbach on Friday. After that, it will weaken a little. According to Herold, the largest amounts of rain are expected on Friday and Saturday in the north of North Rhine-Westphalia. In the north in the Bremen and Hamburg area, the meteorologist expects less precipitation.

However, the situation in Lower Saxony is still tense. Although fears of a storm surge have not yet been confirmed and the flood situation varies from region to region, the all-clear cannot yet be given for the whole of Lower Saxony, said state fire director Dieter Rohrberg in Hanover on Friday. According to him, the situation is shifting locally from the Harz Mountains towards the districts of Celle and Oldenburg.

"Major flood situation" in NRW

Despite stagnating or falling water levels, the Ministry of the Environment did not give the all-clear for North Rhine-Westphalia either. "We still have a major flood situation", said NRW Environment Minister Oliver Krischer (Greens) in Düsseldorf. So far, the consequences have remained manageable and there have been no casualties. There was no danger of dams bursting at the reservoirs and no uncontrolled overflow. The flood protection systems have held.

In Saxony, the Elbe flood reached its highest level on Friday. The maximum water level remained lower than initially forecast. However, the risk of flooding has now been completely averted for the other rivers in Saxony, according to the State Environment Agency. The city of Dresden began dismantling a flood protection gate. In the state capital, the water level of the Elbe rose to 5.95 meters - and thus remained below the six-meter mark, above which the second-highest alert level 3 would have been declared. Two meters is normal. Downstream in Riesa, the guideline value for alert level 3 was not reached either.

Focus of the floods in the northwest of Lower Saxony

Lower Saxony's Interior Minister Daniela Behrens (SPD) said that the focus of the flooding had shifted from the south-east to the north-west of the state over the past few days as the masses of water moved in. In six districts and the city of Oldenburg, a so-called exceptional event has still been declared, according to state fire director Rohrberg. The so-called exceptional event means that districts can, for example, access emergency services more easily.

The floods continue to cause high water levels in many places in Lower Saxony. This is according to a situation report published by the State Agency for Water Management, Coastal Defence and Nature Conservation (NLWKN) on Friday morning. The water level measured at 7.00 a.m. exceeded the highest reporting level in numerous areas. This affected several places on the Weser, Aller and Leine. Downstream of the Weser, the water levels would continue to rise. Particularly in the lower reaches of the Middle Weser, it is not yet possible to speak of an easing of the situation.

Flooding in Germany: flood situation remains tense - more rain predicted

Equipment from the German Armed Forces and Federal Police are deployed

The Federal Police and the Navy each deployed a helicopter in the flood operation near Oldenburg. "The state of Lower Saxony has requested one of our helicopters," said a spokeswoman for the Federal Police in Berlin on Friday. The two helicopters are bringing particularly large sandbags to the dykes near Hatte to secure them, according to a spokesman for the volunteer fire department.

A retirement home in Meppen, located directly on the Ems, had to be evacuated as a precaution due to the flooding. A total of 52 residents were taken out of the home on Thursday evening with the support of the German Red Cross, said Petra Büter, press spokeswoman for the town.

The Serengeti Park Hodenhagen prepared for further evacuations of animals with an emergency plan. The house of the antelopes and giraffes, which is surrounded by water, was a particular cause for concern, said a spokeswoman for the zoo. "These animals would have to be anaesthetized for an evacuation, which is a big risk."

Such weather extremes may occur more frequently in the future

The extreme end to the year fits in with 2023 as a whole - the rainiest and warmest year in NRW since records began, said NRW Environment Minister Oliver Krischer. In view of climate change, he believes that such extreme situations can be expected more frequently in the future.

In order to achieve "pre-discharge" before new rainfall, i.e. to create storage space, many reservoirs in NRW are currently releasing more water, as expert Matthias Börger from the Ministry of the Environment reported. He did not see any danger of overloading at any of the facilities.

A small district of Kleve on the Lower Rhine was still surrounded by water - and thus became an island a few days ago. A ferry boat ensured that the residents of Schenkenschanz were able to cross the Rhine. In the district of Soest, the crisis team's worried gaze turned to the River Lippe, whose water level remained at a high level. Several thousand sandbags were filled as a precaution, especially for the municipality of Lippetal.

Normalization at flood crisis points in Thuringia

In Thuringia, the opening of a Helme dyke brought relief to the flood situation in the village of Mönchpfiffel-Nikolausrieth in the Kyffhäuserkreis district. The situation in the village of 300 inhabitants directly on the border with Saxony-Anhalt, which has been critical since Thursday, has eased, said a spokesman for the district administration on Friday. The dyke near the village had been opened in a controlled manner on Thursday evening to divert the water from the river onto fields.