Three federal states affected - New continuous rain threatens: concern grows in flood areas
There are no signs of relief in the flood areas in several federal states for the time being. On Tuesday night, the German Weather Service (DWD) warned of persistent rain in parts of Germany, which is expected to continue until Thursday night. This could exacerbate the situation in the affected regions. The emergency services are particularly concerned about soaked dykes. Meanwhile, the German Red Cross (DRK) is calling for better preparation for such crises.
"We need more and better equipment for disasters in Germany," DRK President Gerda Hasselfeldt told the Rheinische Post newspaper. "The deficits are glaring, especially in terms of material equipment." After the flood disaster in the Ahr valley in the summer of 2021, the awareness of those politically responsible for civil protection has increased. "There's not much left of that now."
Floods keep helpers in constant action
Emergency services have been working continuously in several regions for days. Lower Saxony, parts of North Rhine-Westphalia and the south of Saxony-Anhalt are particularly affected. On New Year's Eve, Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz visited a flood area in Lower Saxony, followed a day later by Federal Minister of the Interior Nancy Faeser (both SPD). She promised further support.
Faeser said she was worried about the weather forecasts with more rain. "That makes the situation more difficult. What we can do, we will do," said the minister. On Tuesday night, the DWD's warning report on the predicted precipitation stated: "From Lower Saxony to the Black Forest and in the eastern low mountain ranges, high amounts of rain in some places."
Dykes on rivers are soaked
Lower Saxony's Interior Minister Daniela Behrens(SPD) spoke on Monday of a very tense situation on the dykes. "The dykes are very soaked and we are very worried that we will get more rain in the next few days and that the situation will get even worse," she said. There are currently still six districts with an exceptional situation.
According to the Federal Agency for Technical Relief (THW), around 1,000 volunteers were deployed across Germany at the turn of the year - mainly in Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt and North Rhine-Westphalia. In the meantime, forces from around a third of all THW local associations have been deployed, according to a statement.
Volunteers in Thuringia and Saxony-Anhalt
Volunteers are also active in Thuringia and Saxony-Anhalt. In order to relieve the Kelbra dam in Saxony-Anhalt and create storage space for the predicted rainfall, more water is being drained into the Helme river, according to the responsible district office. It is about five cubic meters more water per second. For this reason, there are plans to deepen the dyke breach near the Thuringian village of Mönchpfiffel-Nikolausrieth, which has been widened to 45 meters in recent days, for a second time.
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The predicted continuous rain from Tuesday night until Thursday night, as warned by the German Weather Service (DWD), poses a threat to the already flood-affected regions in Germany, particularly Lower Saxony. According to DWD, areas from Lower Saxony to the Black Forest and in the eastern low mountain ranges are expected to receive high amounts of rain. This could exacerbate the situation in these regions, causing concern for the emergency services, who are particularly worried about the soaked dykes.
Germany's Red Cross (DRK) President Gerda Hasselfeldt has urged for better preparation for such crises, highlighting the glaring deficits in material equipment. After the flood disaster in the Ahr valley in the summer of 2021, the awareness of those politically responsible for civil protection has increased, but as Hasselfeldt notes, not much is left of it now.
Lower Saxony's Interior Minister Daniela Behrens (SPD) speaks of a very tense situation on the dykes, as they are already soaked and the region is expected to receive more rain in the coming days. The DWD has predicted high amounts of rain in parts of Germany, from Lower Saxony to the Black Forest and in the eastern low mountain ranges.
Federal Minister of the Interior Nancy Faeser ( SPD) visited a flood area in Lower Saxony on New Year's Eve and promised further support. Faeser expressed her concern about the weather forecasts, which predict more rain, making the situation more difficult. She also noted that around 1,000 volunteers were deployed across Germany at the turn of the year, mainly in Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and North Rhine-Westphalia.
Volunteers are also active in Thuringia and Saxony-Anhalt. In Saxony-Anhalt, more water is being drained into the Helme river to create storage space for the predicted rainfall. This has led to plans to deepen the dyke breach near the Thuringian village of Mönchpfiffel-Nikolausrieth for a second time.
Source: www.stern.de
