Oldenburg takes precautions for possible evacuation
The flood situation in Lower Saxony remains tense. Plans are being made in Oldenburg for a possible evacuation. A federal police helicopter is still being used to secure the dykes.
In the city of Oldenburg in Lower Saxony, preparations are being made for a possible evacuation due to the flooding. The dykes are still under high pressure, the city announced. Water levels would only drop marginally at most. So far, however, the dykes are dry and stable.
According to the information, the Achterdiek area, where the Küstenkanal flows into the Hunte, is particularly affected. "This is a precautionary measure - a concrete evacuation is currently not planned," it said in a statement. Emergency accommodation is available for affected citizens, it said. Regardless of this, access to the dykes is still prohibited.
The federal police are continuing to support the dyke protection near Oldenburg with a helicopter. On Friday, a Super Puma helicopter brought particularly large sandbags to the dykes in Hatten to secure them, the federal police announced. The helicopter had also been in action again on Saturday since 10.00 am. According to the information, the helicopter made 19 flights on Friday and brought 13 tons of sand to the dykes. It is expected to remain in the air in the coming days.
A navy helicopter also took to the skies in the region on Friday, but only made reconnaissance flights. In general, however, this helicopter is also ready to provide support in the region, said a spokesperson for the Territorial Command of the German Armed Forces.
In the morning, the floods had set new highs at several water levels in Lower Saxony. On the Weser, for example, the water level at Drakenburg, at 835 centimetres, exceeded the previous high from 1981 by one centimetre, according to the supra-regional flood service. "However, the peak has already been reached and the water levels at the gauge are falling slightly," it said. Previous highs were also exceeded on the Aller. In the morning, 580 centimetres were measured in Langlingen and 659 centimetres in Eitze. This exceeded previous flood records by five and eight centimetres respectively.
In the Serengeti Park in Hodenhagen, Lower Saxony, the critical flood situation has eased slightly. Pumps on the site had managed to push large amounts of water behind the dyke in the direction of the Meisse, said a spokeswoman for the leisure park north of Hanover. The water in the antelopes' and giraffes' animal house had also sunk noticeably and flowed out of the building again.
However, according to the park, large parts of the grounds are still flooded and in some cases inaccessible. The park is home to lions, rhinos, tigers and elephants, among others. In the town of Meppen, which was particularly affected by the flooding, the water levels have dropped slightly, according to a statement from the town. In the town in Lower Saxony, which lies on the Ems and Hase rivers, people have already had to be rescued from cars and houses on several occasions. A campsite and a retirement home were also evacuated.
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In response to the flood situation in Lower Saxony, Oldenburg has initiated evacuation preparations. Recently, an international assistance was provided with a federal police helicopter from another German state aiding in securing the dykes.
Source: www.ntv.de
