Lower Saxony asks Bundeswehr for help due to flooding
The authorities have not yet seen any relief in the fight against the floods in Lower Saxony. To ensure the stability of the dykes, the state is now alerting the German Armed Forces. In an emergency, they are to provide support with helicopters.
The federal police and the navy are each deploying a helicopter to Hatten in Oldenburg, Lower Saxony, which was affected by the flooding. "The state of Lower Saxony has requested one of our helicopters," said a spokeswoman for the Federal Police in Berlin. The federal police helicopter was bringing particularly large sandbags to the dykes to secure them, said a spokesperson for the volunteer fire department.
The navy helicopter went up to get a picture of the situation, said a spokesman for the Territorial Command of the German Armed Forces. The helicopters can also be deployed in the city of Oldenburg and other areas of the Oldenburg district, according to the city. The helicopters are temporarily subordinate to the city's disaster control.
The state of Lower Saxony had previously requested support from the German Armed Forces due to the current flooding situation. A request for assistance had already been received on Thursday evening, said a spokesperson for the Territorial Command of the armed forces in the afternoon. Accordingly, six helicopters were put on standby.
"It is primarily about securing dykes," said the spokesperson. However, personnel and material transports and, if necessary, evacuations of endangered people are also possible. However, this last request was initially only made as a precautionary measure.
According to a report in "Der Spiegel", the helicopters are to drop textile containers filled with construction material if dykes are softened or even break. This is intended to stabilize the dykes and slow down the flow of water. In many places, these have already been softened by the masses of water that helpers can no longer reach them with vehicles.
Many rivers in Lower Saxony are currently flooding after heavy rainfall and, in some cases, due to melting snow in the Harz Mountains. State Interior Minister Daniela Behrens spoke of a "very, very tense situation" on Deutschlandfunk radio this morning. Almost all of Lower Saxony is under water. Around 100,000 firefighters and technical relief workers (THW) were therefore deployed everywhere.
There is "really no relief in sight yet", added Behrens. According to the weather forecast, there will be more rain and storms over the next few days. This will not ease the situation, but rather "exacerbate it in one place or another".
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The federal government is preparing to send additional resources to aid in the flooding in Lower Saxony, as the state's authorities continue to struggle against the waters. Due to the severity of the situation, the German Federal Armed Forces have been placed on standby to provide assistance if needed, with a focus on securing dykes and conducting evacuations if necessary.
Source: www.ntv.de
