Inundation Strikes Area with Overwhelming Amount of Water - Nervous periods of inundation by the Danube.
The flood situation in Bavaria remains tense despite some improvement in certain areas. In particular, the Danube river in eastern Bavaria still has high water levels on Wednesday, although there are slight decreases. It's especially critical in Regensburg during the afternoon. On the other hand, Baden-Württemberg is gradually returning to normal with clean-up efforts starting on Tuesday. In the past few days, Germany has experienced as much rain as only every 50 to 100 years.
No new weather front is expected to hit Germany, but there's no real warning for the floods either. The south could see more heavy rain, as predicted by the German Weather Service (DWD) on Wednesday. However, the major rain has passed, said a DWD meteorologist.
Climate change makes extreme weather events more probable. Climate activists criticize the federal government for insufficient action in fighting global warming amid the flood disaster in southern Germany. Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) has visited a flood-affected region for the fourth time this year, according to Luisa Neubauer of the climate protection group Fridays for Future in Berlin. "These visits are nothing more than symbolic politics with a bitter aftertaste when the chancellor forgets his statements about the climate crisis on the way home," Neubauer said. Scholz had visited the area on Monday.
Saturated ground presents a concern
In Regensburg, Bavaria, authorities allowed water to flow past the flood barriers along the Danube on Wednesday because of fully saturated ground. Fearing the ground underneath Werftstraße could suddenly fail, water was allowed to pass through, and pumps were turned off. Hope remains that the subsoil and flood barriers will be more stable due to water pressure on both sides. On Tuesday night, about 30 residents in Regensburg had to evacuate their houses as the ground was becoming softer due to high groundwater.
The flood in Passau is receding slowly
Further downstream in the Bavarian Passau, the water levels on the Danube and Inn rivers are decreasing slowly but still at high levels. The flood in Passau will recede more slowly than on Tuesday night, according to the Bavarian Flood Information Service. In Deggendorf, sandbag barriers were built at the port as a precaution to prevent major flooding. However, the population is not in danger, said the district administration.
Water levels along the Danube from Swabian Donauwörth to Passau were in the area of the highest flood warning level four - the highest level possible - on Wednesday.
Baden-Württemberg is making progress
Meckenbeuren in Baden-Württemberg was one of the flood-affected areas in the state. A school was flooded, and the Minister President saw the situation. Progress is being made. "The crisis team stopped working today," said a municipality spokesperson on Wednesday. Clean-up efforts have been going on for over a day and a half. "Thanks to the sunny weather, clean-up efforts have progressed well."
Missing firefighter in Offingen
Search efforts continued in Offingen, Bavaria, for a 22-year-old firefighter who disappeared on Sunday during a flood rescue mission with his boat. The firefighter hasn't been found yet, said a police spokesperson. There's still hope he could be alive. "Chances are getting a bit slimmer each day."
Rescue of a 32-year-old woman from a tree
A 32-year-old woman was rescued from a tree in the flooded Silberwald near Neu-Ulm after being there for two and a half days. Several people are still missing. At least five people have died due to the flooding in South Germany, three of them in Bavaria.
Many roads and train lines in Bavaria remained closed due to flooding and landslides on Wednesday. ICE trains between Donauwörth and Augsburg and between Nuremberg and Würzburg were not operational at first, and the busy long-distance route between Ulm and Augsburg was only partly accessible.
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- The flood situation in Bavaria, a part of Germany, is still causing concern due to high water levels in the Danube river.
- Despite some improvement in certain areas, the Danube in eastern Bavaria, particularly Regensburg, remains critical with high water levels on Wednesday.
- Baden-Württemberg, another part of the country, is making progress with clean-up efforts starting on Tuesday, gradually returning to normal.
- The flood disaster in southern Germany has received criticism from climate activists for the federal government's insufficient action in fighting global warming.
- Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) visited a flood-affected region in Bavaria for the fourth time this year, but the climate crisis chancellor's statements were often forgotten on the way home.
- Saturated ground in Regensburg, Bavaria, is a concern, leading to the temporary allowance of water to flow past the flood barriers along the Danube.
- The flood in Passau is receding slowly, with the water levels decreasing but still at high levels on the Danube and Inn rivers.
- In Deggendorf, sandbag barriers were built at the port as a precaution, ensuring the population's safety despite high water levels.
- Water levels along the Danube from Swabian Donauwörth to Passau were at the highest flood warning level four on Wednesday, the highest level possible.
- Missing persons were reported in Offingen, Bavaria, where a 22-year-old firefighter disappeared during a flood rescue mission on Sunday.
- A 32-year-old woman was rescued from a tree in Neu-Ulm after being stranded for two and a half days during the floods.
- Many roads and train lines remained closed due to flooding and landslides in Bavaria, causing disruptions to ICE trains and busy long-distance routes.
- Bavaria's Minister President Markus Söder emphasized that the country is working hard to overcome the flood situation, providing a signal of resilience and determination.
- After being hit by heavy rain, southern Germany faces a potential weather threat of more heavy rain in the coming days, as predicted by the German Weather Service (DWD).
