No all-clear in the flood areas

Storm - No all-clear in the flood areas

Rain has made the work of thousands of emergency services in the flood areas in parts of Germany more difficult. The German Weather Service (DWD) announced continuous rain into Thursday night. There is great concern that the situation in the flooded areas could worsen. Many dykes are softened. Even on Tuesday, meadows and fields in several regions of Lower Saxony resembled lake landscapes. In other regions of Germany, there was flooding on the Elbe, for example.

Lower Saxony, parts of North Rhine-Westphalia, the south of Saxony-Anhalt and the north of Thuringia are still particularly affected. According to the weather service, heavy rainfall is expected from Lower Saxony to the Black Forest and in the eastern and south-eastern low mountain ranges until Thursday. Meteorologists expect 30 to 50 liters per square meter within 30 to 60 hours, and up to 120 liters in the mountains.

Dykes are being reinforced in many places

In many places in Germany, emergency services are preparing for the possible effects of new rainfall. In the municipality of Lilienthal near Bremen, soaked dykes were stabilized with sandbags. Almost 100 people there are currently unable to enter their houses or apartments. A barrier with extra-large sandbags has also been erected as close as possible to the dyke to protect houses. One such bag weighs up to 1.3 tons, said a spokeswoman for the municipality. Elsewhere, a mobile dyke around 800 meters long was erected.

The city of Oldenburg is also protecting itself against flooding with a mobile dyke. The dyke along a length of around two kilometers in Sandkruger Straße is ready, the city announced on Tuesday. Any remaining gaps are to be closed with sandbags, among other things, in the event of an emergency. This is a precautionary measure in case the Huntedeich can no longer withstand the masses of water.

According to a spokesperson, a federal police helicopter was deployed several times and had transported around 36 tons of sand by Tuesday. Due to the situation in Lower Saxony, Bundeswehr helicopters are also on standby. Brandenburg's Minister President Dietmar Woidke (SPD) offered his state's help.

Lower Saxony can also rely on support from France. The first part of a 1.2-kilometre-long mobile dyke system from the neighboring country was still expected, according to a spokesperson for the Ministry of the Interior. Lower Saxony's Interior Minister Daniela Behrens (SPD) spoke on the NDR-Info radio station of well under 2000 people who had been brought to safety because of the floods. In view of the situation, this is not very much.

Meanwhile, the critical flood situation in the Serengeti Park in Hodenhagen, Lower Saxony, eased. The water receded again, according to a spokeswoman for the theme park north of Hanover. The main access road to the park is passable again. However, there is still no central power supply and generators are being used. "Some animals are still in temporary accommodation," said the spokesperson - such as blue wildebeest and meerkats.

No all-clear yet in NRW

In North Rhine-Westphalia, the Ministry of the Environment in Düsseldorf did not give the all-clear on Tuesday either. The flood situation had eased further over the New Year's Eve weekend. "However, we are already seeing the first small bodies of water rising again due to the recent rainfall," a ministry spokesperson told the German Press Agency. Whether this situation worsens further depends on the precipitation that falls on Tuesday and Wednesday.

In southern Saxony-Anhalt, the district administrator of the Mansfeld-Südharz district, André Schröder (CDU), spoke of a very serious situation. Hundreds of emergency personnel were on duty along the Helme dykes to reinforce, secure and build up the dykes, he said. On the Thuringian side, a decision was to be made on the Helme in the Kyffhäuserkreis district as to whether a breach in the dyke near Mönchpfiffel-Nikolausrieth should be deepened in order to divert water onto fields.

The reservoirs in the Harz region are still very full. However, it is possible to reduce the water discharge in order to relieve the lower reaches of the rivers, according to the Harz waterworks. "The reservoirs have recovered due to the higher discharges in the last few days and can take on more water again," said Lars Schmidt, Commercial Director of the waterworks. This would be important for rivers in Lower Saxony, among others.

In Brandenburg, the Elbe near Wittenberge in Prignitz slightly exceeded the six-meter mark on Tuesday afternoon. According to the city, it is expected that the highest water level has been reached and the situation will ease. Alert level 2 is still in place, which means that the dykes are constantly being monitored and preparations are being made for flood protection.

In other regions of Germany, people are looking anxiously at the sky. In the north of Bavaria, the rainfall has once again increased the risk of flooding. According to the flood information service on Tuesday, large parts of Upper Franconia are affected.

DRK sees deficits in preparation for disasters

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 2021, the awareness of those politically responsible for civil protection has increased. "There's not much left of that now."

"Initial procurement processes" have begun for a second module, a spokesperson for the Ministry of the Interior told the German Press Agency in Berlin. "The Federal Ministry of the Interior and for Home Affairs and the Federal Office of Civil Protection and Disaster Assistance are working to ensure that further modules are implemented."