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German Federal States — News — DWD — North Rhine-Westphalia — Rhine — Flood — Germany — Nancy Faeser — Environment and Consumer Protection North Rhine-Westphalia — Düsseldorf — Storm warning — Ems — Rain — Fire department — NRW — Weekend — SPD — niers — Universities — Continuous rain — bad weather — Rheinische Post — State Office for Nature — Weather — THW — Flood situation

No flood warning for NRW yet

Days of rain and soaked ground: There is flooding in many places in NRW. The German Weather Service has lifted storm warnings. However, the authorities believe it is too early to give the all-clear.

,   and  Wendy Allen
4 min read
"Flood" is written on a sign on the Weser bridge in Höxter. Photo.aussiedlerbote.de
"Flood" is written on a sign on the Weser bridge in Höxter. Photo.aussiedlerbote.de

After continuous rain - No flood warning for NRW yet

The flood situation in North Rhine-Westphalia remains tense. "We have predominantly rising or constant flood levels," said a spokesperson for the Ministry of the Environment in Düsseldorf on Tuesday. This is putting pressure on the dykes.

On Tuesday, Federal Minister of the Interior Nancy Faeser (SPD) thanked the emergency services and volunteers who had been working on the floods throughout the Christmas period. "What they have done for all of us deserves the greatest appreciation and respect," Faeser told the Rheinische Post newspaper. In North Rhine-Westphalia alone, 940 THW helpers from almost 60 local associations were deployed.

The storm warnings issued for several federal states were lifted by the German Weather Service on Tuesday. The State Agency for Nature, Environment and Consumer Protection of North Rhine-Westphalia (Lanuv NRW) also announced that less rain was to be expected temporarily. However, this will not have a direct impact on the flood situation. "The water levels are only expected to ease slightly over the course of the week." How the weather will then develop towards the weekend cannot yet be predicted with certainty. According to forecasts by the German Weather Service, showers and thunderstorms are expected to increase again.

In the Ems, Lippe and Niers catchment area, the information value 3 was exceeded at three gauges on Tuesday, thus reaching the highest flood warning level. This means that inhabited areas could also be at risk. The water levels on the Lower Rhine continued to rise on Tuesday. The highest level was expected at the Cologne gauge on Wednesday night. However, the floods on the Rhine were not yet so dramatic, said the Lanuv spokesperson: "In terms of impact, the smaller bodies of water in North Rhine-Westphalia are much more affected this time."

The flood situation remained tense in the district of Soest, for example. The focal points there were the town of Lippstadt and the municipality of Lippetal. Basements there were flooded and several streets were inundated. Individual farmsteads were supplied with sandbags by the fire department.

There was a lot to do for the fire department and THW in Hamm on Boxing Day: water was seeping through a dyke on the River Ahse, meaning that it had to be additionally stabilized with sandbags. "We have around 200 firefighters on site at all times, and we are constantly relieving them," said a fire department spokesperson. Forces from Coesfeld, Unna and Bochum arrived to provide support.

The water level of the Ruhr fell for the first time since the acute flood situation began at the Hattingen measuring site. Nevertheless, the all-clear cannot yet be given, according to the city of Oberhausen. There has been concern there for days about the condition of the Ruhr dyke on the city border with Mülheim. Following an on-site inspection, councillor Michael Jehn said: "The situation on the dyke is still stable." There is no danger to the population. The situation is being closely monitored. The Oberhausen Ruhr dyke, which had shown critical weak points, had been secured by numerous emergency services shortly before Christmas. NRW Environment Minister Oliver Krischer (Greens) thanked everyone involved for their "courageous intervention".

According to the Lanuv, the second-highest warning level, which indicates the risk of flooding of individual built-up properties or cellars, was exceeded at 19 water gauges in NRW on Tuesday. The first warning threshold was exceeded at 37 measuring stations - this means that agricultural and forestry land could be flooded. The water levels on the Rhine and the Weser are not included in the count. The city of Gütersloh announced on Tuesday that the situation there had eased somewhat.

Environment Minister Krischer asked all citizens to remain vigilant and to stay away from water and dykes. With regard to general flood protection in NRW, he said that although there was a clear need for renovation, on the whole the dykes and flood protection facilities were fulfilling their purpose.

Lanuv flood portal Lanuv situation report, as at 1500 hrs

Read also:

  1. In North Rhine-Westphalia, the Ministry of the Environment in Düsseldorf is closely monitoring the ongoing flood situation.
  2. Despite the impact of continuous rain and rising or constant flood levels, a flood warning for NRW has not been issued yet.
  3. Nancy Faeser, the Federal Minister of the Interior, praised the efforts of emergency services and volunteers during the floods over the Christmas period in NRW.
  4. The German Weather Service lifted storm warnings for several federal states on Tuesday, but rain was still expected in North Rhine-Westphalia.
  5. The State Agency for Nature, Environment and Consumer Protection of North Rhine-Westphalia (Lanuv NRW) announced temporary less rain, but noted it would not directly impact the flood situation.
  6. In the Ems, Lippe, and Niers catchment area, the flood warning level was exceeded at three gauges on Tuesday, reaching the highest flood warning level.
  7. The Rhine's water levels continued to rise on Tuesday, with the highest level expected at the Cologne gauge on Wednesday night.
  8. In Soest's district, the flood situation remained tense, with basements flooded and several streets inundated, requiring fire department assistance.
  9. In Hamm, water was seeping through a dyke on the River Ahse, requiring additional sandbag stabilization by the fire department and THW.
  10. According to the city of Oberhausen, although the all-clear can't yet be given, the Ruhr's water level fell for the first time since the acute flood situation started.
  11. In Gütersloh, the flood situation somewhat eased, while 37 measuring stations in NRW had their first warning threshold exceeded, putting agricultural and forestry land at risk.
  12. Environment Minister Krischer advised citizens to remain vigilant, stay away from water and dykes, and highlighted the need for renovation in flood protection facilities in NRW.

Source: www.stern.de

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