Scholz arrives in the flood zone

For days, thousands of emergency personnel in several regions of Germany have been battling the consequences of heavy rainfall. Now Chancellor Scholz is traveling to the flood area. The weather situation has recently eased slightly. However, meteorologists are expecting more rain over the next few days.

Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz has arrived for a visit to the flood areas in Lower Saxony. The SPD politician landed by helicopter in the particularly affected town of Verden an der Aller, where he wanted to talk to emergency workers about the current situation, the protective measures taken and the expected further developments. Afterwards, a visit to the "Panoramablick" viewpoint at Klusdamm was planned, where Scholz wanted to take a look at the flooded areas.

Afterwards, Scholz, Lower Saxony's Minister President Stephan Weil and State Interior Minister Daniela Behrens (both SPD) are scheduled to meet with citizens affected by the floods in Verden. According to a government spokesperson, the Chancellor would also like to thank the relief workers from the fire department and the Federal Agency for Technical Relief (THW) as well as other volunteers.

For days, thousands of emergency personnel in several areas of Germany have been battling the consequences of heavy rainfall. Parts of Lower Saxony, southern Saxony-Anhalt on the border with Thuringia and areas in North Rhine-Westphalia are particularly affected. The weather situation had recently eased slightly. However, meteorologists are expecting more rain over the next few days.

Helpers fear that the river levels could then rise again. For many volunteer fire departments, the Federal Agency for Technical Relief (THW) and many other helpers, the floods mean that they will probably have to spend the New Year in action. The authorities have recently been particularly concerned about softened dykes.

Call to refrain from using fireworks

To save the emergency services extra work, several cities in Lower Saxony recommended that fireworks and firecrackers be avoided on New Year's Eve, for example the city of Celle. The emergency services were already working at full capacity with the floods. Environment Minister Christian Meyer from the Green Party also recommended not using fireworks on New Year's Eve in areas affected by flooding. In some cases, firecrackers were also banned, such as in the municipality of Lilienthal in the district of Osterholz near Bremen. The district also feared that many onlookers would be out and about in the flood area on New Year's Eve.

Lower Saxony's Interior Minister Behrens described onlookers and disaster tourists as annoying. "Many are traveling to see the masses of water. They ignore the barriers." There have already been several cases in which the fire department has had to rescue onlookers, said the Interior Minister.

In other parts of Germany, too, the emergency services have their work cut out for them. The flood situation remains critical in several towns on the Helme river on the border between Thuringia and Saxony-Anhalt. The district of Mansfeld-Südharz declared a state of emergency on Saturday. According to the mayor of the municipality of Südharz, Peter Kohl, collection points were set up in two gymnasiums on Saturday evening as a precautionary measure. Despite the declaration of a state of disaster, nothing has changed in terms of practical work.

On the Elbe near Tangermünde in northern Saxony-Anhalt, the authorities expected the second of four alert levels to be exceeded on Saturday. In Saxony and North Rhine-Westphalia, the authorities had cautiously spoken of an easing of the situation.

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Following the visit, Chancellor Scholz and the regional leaders will hold a meeting with international organizations to seek additional support in managing the flood situation. Recognizing the ongoing efforts of local helpers and emergency services, Scholz emphasized the need for international cooperation in addressing this global issue of extreme weather events.

In light of the predicted heavy rainfall, the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) has sent a team to collaborate with the German authorities, providing expertise and resources to help mitigate the effects of the upcoming floods in the flood zone.

Source: www.ntv.de