Masses of water flood Lower Saxony - Weil calls images "terrifying"

Historic water levels, flooded districts, evacuated people: According to Minister President Weil, Lower Saxony is struggling with a flood situation the likes of which has never been seen before. The fire department is fighting with residents over sandbags. The situation also remains tense in Saxony-Anhalt.

The flood situation is keeping many people in the east and north of Germany on tenterhooks. In Lower Saxony, the flood situation is tenser than ever, according to the Minister President. "There has never been a flood of this magnitude here before. Experts have been warning for a long time that the increasingly frequent extreme weather events are linked to climate change," said Stephan Weil in a statement.

In the future, we must further strengthen our commitment to flood prevention and urgently reduce CO2 emissions. According to Weil, more than 100,000 people in the federal state are working to combat the floods. "The images are similar and yet they are frightening in many places: huge masses of water where otherwise comparatively small rivers meander through the landscape, dykes reinforced with sandbags, pumps in continuous operation." Several federal states are helping with sandbags and fire department support teams.

In Lower Saxony, a so-called exceptional event has been declared in six districts and the city of Oldenburg, according to a spokesperson for the Ministry of the Interior. The districts affected are Celle, Oldenburg, Emsland, Osterholz, Heidekreis, Verden and the city of Oldenburg. By declaring an extraordinary event, districts can, for example, access emergency services more easily.

Around 300 people evacuated in the municipality of Winsen

Numerous water levels were above the highest reporting level - particularly in the southern part of the state, according to the State Agency for Water Management, Coastal Defence and Nature Conservation (NLWKN). The rivers Weser, Aller, Leine and Oker were affected by high water levels. In the so-called lower reaches of the Aller from the town of Celle, the water levels would also continue to rise. Around 300 people had to leave their homes in the Lower Saxony municipality of Winsen due to the Aller flood. According to the district of Celle, the water was around 40 to 50 centimeters high in some streets. For safety reasons, the power was therefore turned off.

In Drakenburg near Nienburg an der Weser, the historic water level of 1981 was reportedly exceeded at 834 centimetres. The peak is expected there on Friday night and further downstream towards Bremen on Saturday night. In the upper reaches of the Weser, the peak has already been reached and the water levels are falling.

Following a breach in the dyke in Lilienthal near Bremen, adjacent streets were successfully evacuated. In the municipality, dykes had been severely damaged in several places over the past few days. After an initial evacuation on Wednesday evening, further streets were evacuated during the night "for urgent safety reasons", according to the fire department. People were accommodated with friends and relatives or in a prepared gymnasium. The electricity was then switched off in the evacuated area. At the Serengeti Park in Hodenhagen, Lower Saxony, some animals were evacuated after water leaked into stables.

Pretzien weir opened for the first time since 2013

Minister President Weil condemned the disaster tourism that can be observed in some places. "My urgent appeal to all curious people is: leave it alone, go for a walk somewhere else or stay at home. The aid workers have their hands full, many are working day and night. We really shouldn't make their difficult job any harder."

The fire departments also have other problems to contend with: resources are being stolen. "Sandbags that are installed on dykes are being taken away by residents because they don't have the sandbags themselves to protect their homes," said Karl-Heinz Banse, President of the German Fire Service Association. He also reports: "There are insults, there are discussions with those affected, why do they start pumping out the water in street A first and not in street B? Why does my neighbor have the fire department in the basement before I do," said Banse. "There are lots and lots of arguments." The fire department also had to contend with a lot of onlookers.

To alleviate the situation in the Magdeburg area, the State Office for Flood Protection opened the approximately 135-metre-long Pretzien weir on Thursday. This means that around a third of the Elbe water is now diverted past the cities of Magdeburg and Schönebeck through a canal before flowing back into the Elbe. Several hundred people watched the event on the surrounding dykes in the morning. The weir was last opened in June 2013. The water levels in Saxony's rivers are now falling again - with one exception. However, the flood waters of the Elbe were only rising slowly in Saxony. In the early afternoon, a water level of 5.92 meters was measured in Dresden. That was still just below the six-meter mark, above which the second-highest alert level 3 would apply.

Residents return to Winsen

The state flood control center expected this limit to be exceeded on Friday morning - but only very slightly at a maximum of 6.01 meters. A water level of 2.00 meters is normal in the Elbe in the state capital.

Water had already been released from the Kelbra reservoir in Saxony-Anhalt. This caused the water level of the Helme river to rise and, according to the authorities, is now endangering the district of Nikolrausrieth in Thuringia. According to the Ministry of the Interior, emergency services set up sandbags on the banks of the river to prevent the water from overflowing into the small village with around 30 houses. In the afternoon, the responsible authorities in both federal states decided to open the Helme dyke in Saxony-Anhalt in order to divert the water onto surrounding fields.

The residents of the village of Windehausen in Thuringia, which was evacuated due to flooding, can now return to their homes. Mayor Matthias Marquardt said that he had lifted the evacuation order in the morning. The reasons for the evacuation no longer applied now that the power supply and sewage system were working again. The inhabitants of the district could return - but initially only with shuttle buses, not yet with their own vehicles.

Windehausen was flooded at Christmas by meltwater from the River Zorge and groundwater that had been pushed upwards. According to the mayor, the water was around 70 centimetres high on the streets on Christmas Day. 400 of the 500 residents responded to the call for voluntary evacuation. Rainfall in sight - "Every drop is actually too much" There are still no signs of a complete easing of the flood situation.

Meteorologist Marcel Schmid from the German Weather Service (DWD) in Offenbach said that overall, not as much rain is expected over the next few days as around Christmas. "However, every drop is actually one too many." It could rain again and again on Friday - especially around the Harz Mountains, Bergisches Land, Sauerland and Siegerland. According to the meteorologist, only isolated showers are forecast for Saturday. On Sunday, it could rain more frequently at times. And the start of the new year for Germany's weather? "It will tend to get a little cooler from Monday. But there will be no onset of winter," said meteorologist Schmid. There could be some snow at higher altitudes.