Ottweiler, Saarland: Dam Burst Incident Occurs
In Neunkirchen's Saarland district, water has taken over the land: Almost every town and municipality has been hit by the flooding. In Ottweiler, the old town is entirely submerged. The water levels are still rising.
The catastrophic flooding in Ottweiler's Saarland district has caused the dams to break and water to overflow into the ancient town. "The old town is completely covered in water. Everything has stopped functioning," said the district's spokeswoman. The mobile dyke systems and sandbags have failed. The district office also had to evacuate. "We're dealing with a major disaster here," stated district head Sören Meng in a Facebook video. The rescue teams are working around the clock. "The damage to the district is immense. Almost all towns and municipalities are involved," Ottweiler was the hardest hit town. "Fortunately, there have been no injuries," she added.
As the night wore on, the situation in the flooded areas of southwest Germany only deteriorated further due to non-stop rain. The Federal Office of Civil Protection and Disaster Assistance announced residents in areas around a burst dam in the district of Quierschied should evacuate immediately. The residents of certain streets in Schoden, located on the River Saar in Rhineland-Palatinate, were told to leave their homes.
According to the Bild tabloid, a protective dam at a power plant in Quierschied broke, the severity of which is yet to be determined. According to SR, the State Office for the Environment and Occupational Safety reported that water levels would continue to rise until midnight, with certain areas showing the potential to only stabilize by Saturday morning.
Caution: Do not remain outdoors
The state capital of Saarbrücken had earlier declared a major damage emergency. Germany's meteorological service (DWD) issued a severe storm warning saying that there's a considerable threat to life and limb due to the massive flooding and high water levels, as announced by the city in the late afternoon. They advised that areas could become inaccessible or cut off by vast amounts of water, and possible landslides could occur.
The Saarland state capital cautioned against staying or traveling outdoors and warned of potential power outages. The city also cautioned about rising water levels in streams and rivers. The city's Route 620 highway was closed due to the floods. Hundreds of firefighters were deployed to help. Widespread flooding, overflowing basements, and landslides had been caused by the torrential rain all across Saarland.
Part of Baden-Württemberg, Hesse, Rhineland-Palatinate, and North Rhine-Westphalia were also impacted by the rain. The DWD cautioned about possible flooding and high water levels in some regions until early Saturday. The highest alert was in place in Saarland and the southern part of Rhineland-Palatinate.
Read also:
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- Flood situation remains tense in many places
The International Red Cross has mobilized efforts to provide aid in the flood-hit areas of Saarland, including Ottweiler, given the extreme weather conditions. The German Weather Service has issued a severe weather warning for the region, predicting further rainfall, which could exacerbate the flood situation.
Source: www.ntv.de
