Fear of rain - Floods in Germany - these maps show warnings and water levels
The situation in the flood areas remains threatening. The German Weather Service (DWD) has forecast heavy rainfall for parts of Germany. In the congested areas of the Bergisches Land and Siegerland in North Rhine-Westphalia as well as the Harz mountains, continuous rain is expected from Friday morning until Saturday night. Up to 40 liters per square meter could fall within 24 hours. The situation in Lower Saxony is tense. In eastern Germany, too, many fire departments are still in constant operation.
In Lower Saxony, areas along the rivers Aller, Leine and Weser in the southern and central part of the state are affected. The situation there worsened on Thursday. The dykes were no longer able to withstand the masses of water everywhere. Thousands of aid workers are deployed across the country. Evacuations were prepared in some places. In the municipality of Langlingen in the district of Celle, around 120 people left their houses and apartments as a precaution on Friday night. The state government will give an update on the flood situation at a press conference on Friday morning.
The map of the cross-state flood portal shows where flooding is expected today. In the areas marked in red, there is an official warning for major flooding, while regions marked in orange are subject to a conventional flood warning. In the dashed areas there is an advance warning from the responsible authorities. In green regions, you can breathe easy. An all-clear has been issued here. There is no warning in white areas. No data can currently be collected for North Rhine-Westphalia.
Minister President Weil: Unprecedented extent in Lower Saxony
Minister President Stephan Weil (SPD) said on Thursday that there had never been a flood of this magnitude before. "Experts have been warning for a long time that the increasingly frequent extreme weather events are linked to climate change," he said. According to the Ministry of the Interior, a so-called exceptional event was declared in six districts and the city of Oldenburg. This measure allows districts to access emergency services more easily, for example.
The all-clear has not yet been given around Bremen either. According to the authorities on Thursday evening, numerous houses along the Wümme in the Katrepel area are surrounded by water and without power. Most of the residents had left the area. In the district of Timmersloh, the water is standing on the dykes. Roads and fields were flooded. According to information from the interior authorities, measures have already had to be taken several times to secure the dykes.
In Dresden, on the other hand, the flood situation is easing a little. The level of the Elbe has been falling again since Friday night, according to data from the State Flood Center. The river briefly reached a level of 5.95 meters. Dresden's environmental mayor Eva Jähnigen (Greens) explained on Deutschlandfunk radio this morning that alert level 3 should be reduced during the course of Friday. All protective measures had been effective and there had been no major damage so far.
Dresden had declared the second-highest warning level prematurely because a water level of more than 6 meters had been expected. By Sunday, the city expects the water to fall below the guideline value of alert level 2 to less than 5 meters.
Downstream in Magdeburg and Schönebeck in Saxony-Anhalt, the State Office for Flood Protection and Water Management opened the Pretzien weir on Thursday. This means that around a third of the Elbe water will be diverted past the two towns through a bypass channel and across meadows and fields before flowing back into the Elbe.
In the north of Thuringia, the view is directed towards the Kelbra dam, from which water has been released. In the village of Mönchpfiffel-Nikolausrieth, around 30 houses were in danger of being flooded, according to a spokesperson for the Ministry of the Interior on Thursday. Emergency services had set up 6000 sandbags on the riverbank to prevent this. According to the information, the water was about ten centimeters below the edge of the bank.
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- The forecast from the German Weather Service (DWD) indicates heavy rainfall in the flood zone of Lower Saxony, particularly along the rivers Aller, Leine, and Weser, which could result in up to 40 liters per square meter within 24 hours.
- The current flood situation in Germany is being closely monitored, with areas marked in red on the cross-state flood portal indicating an official warning for major flooding in these regions.
- Despite the threat of floods, the situation in parts of North Rhine-Westphalia, such as the Bergisches Land and Siegerland, should not be underestimated as they are also expected to receive significant rainfall from Friday to Saturday.
- In Lower Saxony, the flood situation has worsened, with the dykes unable to withstand the masses of water in different locations, resulting in evacuations being prepared in some areas, including Langlingen in the district of Celle.
- The flood situation in Dresden is slowly improving, with the level of the Elbe decreasing since Friday night, and Dresden's environmental mayor, Eva Jähnigen (Greens), anticipating a reduction in alert level 3 by the end of the day.
- In the district of Timmersloh, the water is standing on the dykes, and roads and fields have been flooded, necessitating the implementation of measures to secure the dykes several times.
- In the north of Thuringia, the Kelbra dam has been releasing water, and around 30 houses in the village of Mönchpfiffel-Nikolausrieth are at risk of being flooded, with emergency services setting up sandbags to prevent this.
Source: www.stern.de
