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Saxony-Anhalt flood situation tense: Problems with railroads

During the holidays, anxious eyes turn to the rivers with high water levels. Rail customers, among others, feel the consequences.

In Wasserleben in the northern Harz region, the rainfall of the past few days has caused the....aussiedlerbote.de
In Wasserleben in the northern Harz region, the rainfall of the past few days has caused the streams to swell. Photo.aussiedlerbote.de

Storm - Saxony-Anhalt flood situation tense: Problems with railroads

The flood situation remains tense in many places in Saxony-Anhalt. The third of four flood alert levels was reached on Christmas Day on the Ohre at the Wolmirstedt gauge, on the Salzwedeler Dumme near Tylsen, on the Mulde near Golzern and on the Unstrut near Wangen, according to an overview by the Saxony-Anhalt Flood Forecasting Center. Alert level 2 was reached at various other gauges on different rivers in the state, including the Saale in Halle.

Halle closes paths along the Saale

Paths along the Saale were closed to protect pedestrians and cyclists, according to the city administration on Monday afternoon. As things stand, it will not be necessary to evacuate residential buildings. In several streets, the street lighting will remain switched off on the night of Boxing Day. It is expected that the water levels will fall again over the course of Tuesday. The flood forecasting center expects water levels to rise on the Elbe and Havel.

At alert level 2, cities and municipalities set up a control service, from level 3 there is a permanent watch service and dyke defense measures are started. At level 4, there is a risk to the general public, the economy and the functionality of water management facilities.

Railroad tracks washed out - detour

The rainfall of the past few days has caused disruption on the railroad line between Hanover and Magdeburg. The tracks on the Magdeburg-Helmstedt line have been washed out. Trains will probably have to be rerouted until Wednesday (December 27), according to Deutsche Bahn. IC trains in both directions will be delayed by around 30 minutes. Trains will also not be able to stop at Peine, Braunschweig main station and Helmstedt.

The stormy, rainy and unstable weather also slowed down tourism in the Harz Mountains. The Harz narrow-gauge railroads only ran their trains as far as Schierke and did not head for the Brocken for another day.

Rainfall decreased

The amount of precipitation decreased until Christmas Day. According to the German Weather Service on Monday, single-digit precipitation levels were recorded at most measuring stations over the past 24 hours. Between 7 a.m. on Sunday and 7 a.m. on Monday, 7 liters per square meter fell in Stapelburg in the municipality of Nordharz, compared to almost 29 liters in the previous 24 hours. In Wittenberg, the 24-hour rainfall fell from 20 to 6.5 liters per square meter, and in Freyburg/Unstrut, after 25.5 liters, only 0.8 liters of rain per square meter fell within 24 hours.

From Sunday to Monday, Schierke at the foot of the Brocken reported high rainfall of 27.7 liters per square meter. In the previous 24 hours, 51 liters had been measured.

Flood levels Saxony-Anhalt Information on impairments

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Source: www.stern.de

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