Severe weather conditions bring in strong winds and rain. - Receding floodwaters: However, more rain is forecasted.
The chocolate-colored floodwaters from the past few days are beginning to ebb away - yet, there's a possibility of more complications. The Bavarian Flood Forecasting Service (HND) has predicted that the upcoming rain in the Alps will cause the water levels of specific Danube tributaries and the Danube itself to rise again until Monday. However, they're not anticipating floods similar to those that occurred on the first weekend of June.
In Straubing and the districts of Deggendorf and Kelheim, the disaster status was lifted over the weekend. Several other communities and districts still feel that it's necessary. The situation was especially tense in Regensburg, where the water was diminishing quite gradually. The disaster status has been in effect since June 3rd.
The safety measures in the Werftstraße, which is particularly vulnerable to flooding, have now been completed, as stated by a city spokesperson on Saturday. Nonetheless, the extent of the damage the street endures is still unknown. The flood protection elements stayed put even though the Danube's water level dropped.
The water level at the Eiserne Brücke monitoring point in Regensburg was roughly 2.70 meters on average on May 28th, but climbed considerably to 6.17 meters by June 5th around dawn. The HND reported 4.21 meters on Sunday afternoon. It is expected that the warning level 1 will be overstepped until Monday.
No relaxation in Passau
In Passau, the City of Three Rivers, 7.81 meters were recorded at the Ilzstadt/Donau measuring point on Sunday afternoon. There was a peak of 9.72 meters on Tuesday before that, whereas typical levels would be around 5.50 meters. The forecasts anticipate an increase in water levels from Monday night till Tuesday. Consequently, certain areas that are currently free of water couldn't be released for traffic.
In the Donau-Ries area, the disaster control cautioned people against entering dams and dikes in the flood zones. Additionally, spectators must not obstruct rescue teams.
Cleanup work in various flooded regions
In many areas that were recently swamped, the cleanup operations were lively over the weekend. "In several places, initial demolition work has already started. Nonetheless, the water levels along the Danube are still heightened," said Nikolaus Höfler, the Kelheim district's local crisis manager.
In Upper Bavaria, the water level continued to decline. The disaster status in the Pfaffenhofen district will stay in place. The focus is on cleanup efforts. The rescue teams were also pumping out basements.
The waste incineration plant in Ingolstadt was overwhelmed due to the vast volume of waste that collected in the region as a result of the floods. Thus, the waste acceptance at the waste recycling centers in Pfaffenhofen had to be terminated.
DLRG responders leave their flood-affected bases
The German Life Saving Association (DLRG) has ceased its wide-scale deployment in the Bavarian flood-struck areas. "The rescue squads primarily rescued people who were confined to their houses and areas swamped by the floods," the humanitarian organization announced on Sunday. This included, for instance, an elderly individual who required ongoing oxygen.
The German Meteorological Service anticipated thunderstorms and lightning in the south on Sunday night. At the Alpine border, there could potentially be downpours. Heavy downpours with up to 40 liters per square meter in a brief period are expected there, as well as hail and strong winds of up to 100 kilometers per hour.
EU election mostly unimpaired
The flood had natural consequences for the European election. In some cases, new polling stations had to be sourced as the original ones were inundated. In other cases, the municipalities provided new ballot papers and delivered them to eligible voters because the already submitted mail-in ballots had been damaged and destroyed by water. On Sunday, it was revealed, for example, from the district of Günzburg: "Things are proceeding according to plan," said a spokesperson for the district administration. The same applies to the district of Pfaffenhofen an der Ilm, where a spokesperson for the district administration also stated there were no problems.
Read also:
- Despite the receding floodwaters in Straubing and Deggendorf, the disaster status remains necessary in several other communities in Bavaria.
- Regensburg, still under disaster status since June 3rd, is experiencing a gradual decrease in water levels.
- The forecasted rain in the Alps is predicted to cause the water levels of specific Danube tributaries and the Danube itself to rise again until Monday in Germany.
- The HND has announced that they don't anticipate floods similar to those that occurred on the first weekend of June.
- The safety measures in the Werftstraße, particularly vulnerable to flooding, have been completed, but the extent of damage is still unknown.
- In Passau, the water level recorded at the Ilzstadt/Donau measuring point was 7.81 meters on Sunday afternoon, with forecasted increases until Tuesday.
- In certain areas that were recently swamped in Bavaria, cleanup operations were lively during the weekend, with water levels still heightened along the Danube.
- The waste incineration plant in Ingolstadt was overwhelmed by the vast volume of waste due to the floods, leading to the termination of waste acceptance at Pfaffenhofen's waste recycling centers.
