Weather disturbance brings heavy rainfall and strong winds. - Flooding disaster in numerous municipalities throughout Bavaria.
Due to relentless rain for days on end, emergency services are now responding to a crisis in Bavaria, as overflowing rivers and streams force evacuations in various communities. Nearly 1,000 people have had to leave their homes at night with the Danube and its tributaries being a significant concern. By late Saturday evening, ten Bavarian towns had declared a state of emergency. The German Weather Service (DWD) predicts the rainfall will gradually reduce, but cautions that there could be severe thunderstorms over Middle Franconia and the Upper Palatinate on Sunday.
In the district of Pfaffenhofen an der Ilm, over 200 people were evacuated or fled their homes after warnings of flooding. Two nursing homes were evacuated, as reported by District Administrator Albert Gürtner (Free Voters) early on Sunday morning. The risk of a power outage in these homes means that around 140 residents sought safety at hospitals. On top of this, at least 100 more people had to leave due to threats of flooding. In the northern part of the Upper Bavarian district, officials feared an extreme flood that could surpass a historical flood by more than one and a half times.
The evacuation calls in the Augsburg region expanded during the night. The focus was on communities along the Schmutter River, a Danube tributary. Here, a temporary shelter was set up at the Augsburg fairgrounds. Buses were provided to assist those unable to evacuate unaided.
The area of Schrobenhausen, another Upper Bavarian district, also saw an evacuation of approximately 670 people declared on Saturday evening. Tractors and boats would be used to help citizens in the Mühlried area and a street close to the Weilach River. This community had previously declared a state of emergency.
In the region of Dillingen, a century flood was predicted at the Zusam, a tributary of the Danube. The crisis management team at the district administration called for military assistance from the Bundeswehr. The experts expect a "century flood" - meaning a flood that occurs about once a century - at the small river which could potentially cause disastrous effects on nearby towns like Buttenwiesen and Wertingen.
In Günzburg, a district of Swabia, preparations intensified as thousands of sandbags were filled to control the rising waters. A century flood refers to a flood that typically happens just once every hundred years. The Bavarian Red Cross dispatched rescuers from the Lower Franconia region to help. The rescue teams of the Water Police from across the region specialize in flood rescues, consisting of two boat and diving teams.
The DWD advised that further showers and thunderstorms were approaching from the north, which could potentially challenge communities again with local flooding on Sunday afternoon. These showers could be very heavy and slow-moving. "If they land on the already flooded ground, there'll be more flooding," cautioned a meteorologist. The regions surrounding Augsburg, Nuremberg, Bamberg, and Regensburg are considered high-risk areas.
According to DWD's forecast, by Sunday morning in Bavaria, over 12 hours there will be more rainfall, ranging from 5-10 liters per square meter in certain areas, and up to 20 liters in some others - particularly to the south of the Danube. In the Danube's northern region, there is a significant possibility of thunderstorms with the major threat being more intense, localized rainfall in these areas.
