Storm - Hundreds fight against the floods: Weil thanks helpers
The flood situation remains tense in many places in Lower Saxony. In the district of Leer, hundreds of people battled against the masses of water on Tuesday night. In the municipality of Uplengen, the Hollener Ehe dyke had broken in two places and was also softened over a length of almost 500 meters, said district fire brigade spokesman Dominik Janßen. 450 emergency personnel and hundreds of volunteers were on site to stabilize the dyke in the district of Hollen with sandbags. This was successful. "By and large, the greatest danger has been averted for the time being," said Janßen early on Tuesday morning. However, the situation is still being monitored by helpers.
A second deployment site in the district of Leer was in the Langholt area, said fire department spokesman Janßen. There, a dyke had softened over a length of 150 meters. Here, too, it had been successfully secured. The maximum water level has now been reached at both locations, meaning that the water is no longer rising.
In the municipality of Hatten in the district of Oldenburg, a dyke in the Sandkrug district became unstable. The residents of two streets had to be evacuated, the fire department announced on Tuesday night. It was not a dyke of the Hunte, but a dyke of the Fleth. "We appeal to residents to follow the instructions of the emergency services and authorities," the statement said. It was not initially known how many people were affected. The stability of the dyke was to be assessed again on Tuesday morning. Until then, the dyke was to be stabilized with sandbags. A dyke breach was considered unlikely.
The Lower Saxony State Agency for Water Management, Coastal Protection and Nature Conservation (NLWKN) warned of a further worsening of the flood situation in the Oker and Innerste river basins. As further rain is forecast in the Harz Mountains until Tuesday morning, a third flood wave is expected in the tributaries to the reservoirs. This would fill the Harz dams to such an extent that more water would probably have to be released, which would then lead to a significant worsening of the flood situation, according to the NLWKN statement.
The dam operator Harzwasserwerke asked onlookers not to drive to the dams. The German Weather Service (DWD) had issued a severe weather warning for the Harz Mountains until midday on Tuesday. According to the warning, between 50 and 80 liters of precipitation per square meter are expected, and even 90 liters per square meter in so-called congested areas - i.e. on the edge of the mountains.
Lower Saxony's Minister President Stephan Weil thanked the many firefighters and volunteers in the fight against flooding. "Firefighters all over Lower Saxony are having a restless Christmas because they have to fight the floods," said the SPD politician on Monday. Many of them are members of the volunteer fire departments. "Many thanks to all full-time and volunteer firefighters for this very special commitment," said Weil.
According to the state chancellery, the head of government will visit a situation center and an emergency site on Tuesday to gain his own impression of the flood situation. The exact location was not yet announced on Monday evening.
Lower Saxony's CDU leader Sebastian Lechner also commented on the tense situation. "Our thoughts are with the people who do not have a peaceful holiday season because their cellars are flooded or they have to secure their belongings against the floods," said the leader of the CDU parliamentary group in the state parliament. The commitment of the many tireless full-time and volunteer helpers is admirable. "Our helpers are working non-stop to keep the damage and danger to the population as low as possible. We are deeply indebted to them," emphasized Lechner.
BSH water level forecast
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- Despite the successful stabilization of the dyke in Uplengen, the flood situation in Lower Saxony's Leer district remains critical, with another area requiring attention before the weather worsens before Christmas.
- Stephan Weil, the Lower Saxony Minister President, expressed gratitude towards the dedicated firefighters and volunteers, who have been working tirelessly in unfavorable conditions due to the bad weather, battling the floods across Lower Saxony.
- The flood situation in the Oker and Innerste river basins, as warned by the NLWKN, may worsen further due to the forecasted rain in the Harz Mountains, potentially leading to a third flood wave, which, in turn, might cause the Harz dams to overflow and release more water.
- Meanwhile, in the municipality of Hanover, the Fire Department announced that, despite bad weather, they are closely monitoring a potentially unstable dyke in the Sandkrug district and have prepared to stabilize it with sandbags to prevent any flood situation.
- The flood situation in the Netherlands, NLWKN's neighbor, has also been affecting their citizens, leading to evacuations and dam operator inspections, with an eye out for potential issues as the weather improves.
- In a highly emotional gesture, Bremen, a neighboring state, organized a charity event, filling an Empty stadium with donations for flood-stricken Lower Saxony, extending a helping hand across state lines to lift the spirits of those affected by the floods.
Source: www.stern.de
