More tough days ahead for flood areas: weather service extends rain warning

In Lower Saxony in particular, but also in other federal states, the emergency services have been battling the masses of water for days. After a short, rain-free break, it has been raining again in large parts of Germany since Tuesday, which could cause the already high river levels to rise further.

Lower Saxony's Interior Minister Daniela Behrens (SPD) expected the situation to remain tense. "We still have a few tough days ahead of us to fight this flood," she said on Bavarian radio. The situation is particularly critical in the north-west between the Weser and Ems rivers. "Unfortunately, the water levels are rising again there," said Behrens. The dykes are very soaked. There are also still some towns that are threatened by flooding.

The Lower Saxony State Agency for Water Management, Coastal Defence and Nature Conservation once again warned of a worsening flood situation in the Hase river basin, among others. There is a "risk of major flooding", the authority stated on Wednesday. The situation in Oldenburg also remains critical due to the high water level of the Hunte. Several hundred people were threatened with evacuation. In the meantime, mobile dykes have been set up in Oldenburg and Celle.

According to state fire director Dieter Rohrberg, Lower Saxony received 1.5 million additional sandbags from other federal states, which can be distributed if necessary. Minister President Weil estimated the number of helpers deployed in his state alone at around 120,000.

According to the Federal Office of Civil Protection and Disaster Assistance (BBK), Lower Saxony also accepted an offer of help from France. Since Wednesday, 39 soldiers and eleven vehicles have been supporting the state in the flood situation.

In other parts of Germany, too, the floods are keeping residents and helpers on tenterhooks. Rising water levels have been reported in Bavaria and North Rhine-Westphalia, among other places. The district of Mansfeld-Südharz in Saxony-Anhalt called on the German Armed Forces to help fill sandbags and defend the dykes. Schools in three towns on the Helme river will remain closed on Thursday and Friday.

According to the Federal Ministry of the Interior, around 680 members of the Federal Agency for Technical Relief (THW) are currently deployed in the flood areas. The German Armed Forces are also providing support. According to the Ministry of Defense, it currently has ten helicopters from the air force and navy on standby. There are also around 100 soldiers and infrastructure.

The DWD has now extended its continuous rain warnings into Saturday in some cases. At the same time, snow is in sight. Colder air is gradually seeping in on the back of the current storm depression, which will spread to the north-east on Thursday and bring snowfall in many places. However, further rainfall is to be expected in a wide strip from the Lower Rhine via Thuringia to the Erzgebirge and Fichtelgebirge.

A new low pressure system is approaching from France and will initially spread to the west and northwest of Germany with its area of precipitation during the night into Friday before reaching the northern half on Friday. As the low moves away, the cold air will spread southwards.

Weil told journalists in Hanover on Wednesday that the amount of damage in his federal state could not yet be estimated. He referred to the ten million euros made available by the state for acute emergencies after the 2017 floods. It must be examined "whether we can build on this".

At the same time, he called for compulsory natural hazard insurance throughout Germany. This year, "clear decisions need to be made as quickly as possible", said Weil. The idea is to significantly strengthen the idea of private provision, which is something the federal states have wanted for some time. A result must now be reached "more quickly" with the federal government.

Last March, the federal states had already called on the federal government to present "a concrete federal regulatory proposal" for compulsory natural hazard insurance in the short term.

Meanwhile, hydrologist Ralf Merz said on Deutschlandfunk radio that climate change is leading to more frequent stable weather conditions with long dry and long wet periods. Germany must adapt and activate more floodplains to create floodplains.