Sandbags support dikes - tracks washed out

"By and large, the greatest danger has been averted for the time being," says the district of Leer. Nevertheless, the flood situation is tense in many places in Germany. Emergency services are in constant action. There are still warnings of continuous rain.

The flood situation remains tense in many places in Lower Saxony. In the district of Leer, hundreds of people battled against the masses of water during the night. In the municipality of Uplengen, the Hollener Ehe dyke had broken in two places and was also softened over a length of almost 500 meters, said district fire brigade spokesman Dominik Janßen. 450 emergency personnel and hundreds of volunteers were on site to stabilize the dyke in the district of Hollen with sandbags. This was successful. "By and large, the greatest danger has been averted for the time being," said Janßen in the early morning. However, the situation is still being monitored by helpers.

A second deployment site in the district of Leer was in the Langholt area, said fire department spokesman Janßen. There, a dyke had softened over a length of 150 meters. Here, too, it had been successfully secured. The maximum water level has now been reached at both locations, meaning that the water is no longer rising.

In the municipality of Hatten in the district of Oldenburg, a dyke in the Sandkrug district became unstable. The residents of two streets had to be evacuated, the fire department announced during the night. It was not a dyke of the Hunte, but a dyke of the Fleth. "We appeal to residents to follow the instructions of the emergency services and authorities," the statement said. It is not yet known how many people were affected. The stability of the dyke is to be assessed again this morning. Until then, the dyke is to be stabilized with sandbags. A dyke breach was deemed unlikely.

Dam operator warns onlookers in the Harz Mountains

The Lower Saxony Water Management, Coastal Defence and Nature Conservation Agency (NLWKN) warned of a further worsening of the flood situation in the Oker and Innerste river basins. As further rain is forecast in the Harz Mountains until the morning, a third flood wave is expected in the tributaries to the reservoirs. This would fill the Harz dams to such an extent that more water would probably have to be released, which would then lead to a significant worsening of the flood situation, according to the NLWKN statement. The dam operator Harzwasserwerke asked onlookers not to drive to the dams.

The German Weather Service (DWD) had issued a severe weather warning for the Harz Mountains until midday today. According to the warning, between 50 and 80 liters of precipitation per square meter are expected, and even 90 liters per square meter in so-called congested areas - i.e. on the edge of the mountains.

Lower Saxony's Minister President Stephan Weil thanked the many firefighters and volunteers in the fight against flooding. "Firefighters all over Lower Saxony are having a restless Christmas because they have to fight the floods," said the SPD politician on Monday. Many of them are members of the volunteer fire departments. "Many thanks to all full-time and volunteer firefighters for this very special commitment," said Weil. According to the State Chancellery, the head of government will visit a situation center and an emergency site today, Tuesday, to gain his own impression of the flood situation. The exact location was not yet announced on Monday evening.

Rail traffic affected

The emergency services in other federal states were also struggling with the consequences of the masses of water. The town of Windehausen (Nordhausen district) in northern Thuringia was particularly badly affected. The flood situation there worsened to such an extent that the entire district of Heringen, which has just under 500 inhabitants, had to be evacuated on Christmas Day. "The situation is very threatening, I've never seen anything like it in the Goldene Aue," said the mayor of Heringen, Matthias Marquardt. The water was up to one meter high in the town in places. There was no electricity, no access road and no landline telephony, the mayor described the critical situation. In addition, the toilets were no longer working due to the lack of drains. Residents were therefore urgently advised to leave their homes. However, the mayor emphasized that people would not be taken from their homes by police force.

The German Weather Service predicted further continuous rain in several regions, especially from the western low mountain ranges to the Harz Mountains, according to a DWD storm warning issued late Monday evening. It would also be stormy in some places. During the night, there should be strong gusts, including gale-force winds in the north-west, which will spread northwards during the course of the day. Floods are expected in streams and rivers. In addition to flooding, landslides could also occur. The majority of the country will remain under the influence of mild and very humid air masses.

Rail traffic on the route between Hanover and Magdeburg is expected to be affected until Wednesday (December 27). IC trains will be diverted in both directions, causing delays of around 30 minutes, Deutsche Bahn announced on its website. The reason for this is the undercutting of the tracks on the line from Magdeburg to Helmstedt. The regional train line RB52 between the main stations of Dortmund and Hagen is currently being rerouted in both directions without intermediate stops due to a track washout in Herdecke. Replacement bus services are being prepared, said a railroad spokesperson. It is not yet known how long the closure will last. Long-distance trains between Dortmund and Hagen are not affected.

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The International Meteorological Organization (IMO) has expressed concern about the extreme weather conditions in Germany and the potential impact on meteorological data collection. Despite the efforts of the Fire Department and German Weather Service in securing dykes, the situation remains tense due to continuous rain. Stephan Weil, Lower Saxony's Minister President, thanked the emergency services and volunteers for their dedication during this challenging time. As a result of these weather conditions, rail traffic on certain routes has been affected, causing delays and rerouting.

Source: www.ntv.de