Place in NRW becomes an island - retirement home near Gifhorn evacuated
In several parts of Germany, the floods continue to keep the rescue services on their toes. In Lower Saxony, people have to be rescued with a tractor. A town in North Rhine-Westphalia can only be reached by ferry boat. Meanwhile, meteorologists are expecting further rainfall.
Hardly any all-clear in the flood areas: In Lower Saxony and North Rhine-Westphalia, the situation remains tense, while in Saxony the danger of flooding has largely been averted. However, the German Weather Service (DWD) is predicting further rainfall. "There will be a good amount of rain again until Saturday, but it won't rain in such large quantities," said meteorologist Christian Herold from the DWD in Offenbach. After that it will weaken a little.
According to Herold, the largest amounts of rain are also expected in the north of North Rhine-Westphalia on Saturday. Despite stagnating or falling water levels, the Ministry of the Environment has not given the all-clear either. "We still have a major flood situation", said NRW Environment Minister Oliver Krischer in Düsseldorf. So far, the consequences have remained manageable and there have been no casualties. There is no danger of dams bursting at the reservoirs and no uncontrolled overflow. The flood protection systems have held.
A small district of Kleve on the Lower Rhine is still surrounded by water - and became an island a few days ago. A ferry boat ensures that the residents of Schenkenschanz can cross the Rhine. Employees of the aid organization organized the unusual flood shuttle service. The water levels at the site have recently dropped significantly. However, new rainfall is expected at the beginning of the week and then an increased need for ferry boats, said a THW employee.
No all-clear in Lower Saxony
The DWD expects less precipitation in the Bremen and Hamburg area. In Lower Saxony, however, the situation is still tense. Although fears of a storm surge have not yet been confirmed and the flood situation varies from region to region, the all-clear cannot yet be given for the whole of Lower Saxony, said state fire director Dieter Rohrberg in Hanover. Accordingly, the situation is shifting locally from the Harz Mountains towards the districts of Celle and Oldenburg.
In Müden (Aller) near Gifhorn, a retirement home was evacuated because water had entered the building. On Friday, 13 residents were taken out of the home, according to the German Red Cross. Volunteers from the German Red Cross and the volunteer fire department had already accommodated around 20 people in other retirement homes on Thursday.
In Meppen (Emsland), five people were rescued from a house surrounded by water with the help of a tractor. Initially, the fire department tried to rescue the people from the house using a boat, said a fire department spokesperson. A farmer was finally able to drive his tractor through the water and use the trailer to get the trapped people out of the house. The farmer was there because he was transporting sandbags to secure the house and offered his help. In total, the rescue operation took around an hour in the afternoon.
A retirement home in Meppen located directly on the Ems was also evacuated as a precautionary measure. 52 residents were taken out of the home on Thursday evening with the help of the DRK, said a city spokeswoman. There was a risk of flooding at various points in the city due to softened dykes.
Drinking water in Minden contaminated
The city of Minden has warned that the massive flooding of the last few days has led to a contamination of the drinking water with bacteria. A large part of the city area is affected. The contamination with germs could cause diarrhea and other illnesses. Water for drinking, cooking, but also for washing dishes, washing or brushing teeth must be boiled.
The Elbe flood reached its highest level in Saxony. The maximum water level remained lower than initially forecast. However, the risk of flooding has now been completely averted for the other rivers in Saxony, according to the State Environment Agency. The city of Dresden began dismantling a flood protection gate. In the state capital, the water level of the Elbe rose to 5.95 meters - and thus remained below the six-meter mark, above which the second-highest alert level 3 would have been declared. Two meters is normal. Downstream in Riesa, the guideline value for alert level 3 was not reached either.
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Despite the lower than expected flooding levels in Saxony, other areas like Lower Saxony and North Rhine-Westphalia continue to face flood risks. In Lower Saxony, a retirement home in Müden near Gifhorn was evacuated due to water intrusion, and in Meppen, five individuals were rescued from a flooded house using a tractor. International aid organizations have also stepped in, providing ferry services for residents in a flooded district of Kleve.
Source: www.ntv.de
