Scholz: "No one is left alone" - Some people rant
It is his second visit to the town since the floods: this time the Chancellor is wearing wellies instead of low shoes. Scholz wants to get an overview of the situation in Sangerhausen. The all-clear is not yet in sight in the areas affected by the floods.
Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz has arrived in the flood area in southern Saxony-Anhalt. Together with Federal Environment Minister Steffi Lemke and Minister President Reiner Haseloff, he took stock of the situation in Oberröblingen, a district of Sangerhausen. The Chancellor received an unfriendly reception from some people. "Criminals", "Your policies are based on lies" and "Go right back" were the words of one group of around ten people.
Scholz assured the people during his visit that he would help them. "We will not leave anyone alone. That applies to the federal government, the federal states and many others together." It is clear that this will only work together, "and this must also be done in solidarity in Germany", emphasized the SPD politician. "We will then make the decision between the federal government and the federal states on the ground when the time comes." It is important "that we are prepared and remain prepared". After the end of the floods, it would be necessary to carefully examine how preparations could be improved throughout Germany with regard to infrastructure and defense options against such natural events.
Environment Minister Lemke said that in the medium and long term, municipalities, federal states and the federal government would also have to agree on how to better prepare for such events. "Water needs space, that can be seen up close here and that is a medium and long-term task that we will also tackle from the federal government," she announced.
Scholz, this time in rubber boots instead of hiking boots, had previously gained an overview from a helicopter. This is Scholz's second on-site visit during the current flood situation. On New Year's Eve, he visited Verden on the Aller in Lower Saxony to find out about the situation there. Scholz, Lemke and Haseloff inspected the dyke at the Helme bridge in the morning. The Helme, which flows through Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia, drains the southern part of the Lower Harz.
Sangerhausen belongs to the district of Mansfeld-Südharz. District administrator André Schröder expects the situation in the flood area to remain tense for the next few days. "We expect it to last at least ten days," Schröder told n-tv. That depends on how the weather develops. But even if the cold and frost come in the next few days, the dam will still have to release water and the dykes will have to be checked. "We still need a bit of stamina," emphasized Schröder. Around 500 emergency personnel are already on site, around 100 specialists from the Federal Agency for Technical Relief (THW) and numerous volunteers. "The region is coming together," said Schröder. The situation is tense, but stable.
The district of Mansfeld-Südharz had declared a state of emergency at the end of the year. From Monday, around 150 Bundeswehr soldiers are to support the operation on site and help fill sandbags and defend the dyke. Some soldiers are already in Oberröblingen and are advising the emergency services there. In the Kyffhäuserkreis district in the north of Thuringia, also located in the southern Harz foreland, an already opened dyke is to be further deepened this Thursday in order to prevent flooding of villages in the face of rising water levels.
Softened dykes still holding
Despite the continuous rain, the dykes in the flood areas have so far withstood the masses of water. However, the situation remains tense in many places due to rising water levels. It has rained again in large parts of Germany over the past few days, causing the already high river levels to rise further in some places. By Friday evening, the affected areas in the north-west and west as well as in Franconia will see further rainfall in relevant quantities, as ntv meteorologist Björn Alexander explains. For Lower Saxony, 10 to 15 liters per square meter are forecast, for the western congested areas in the Harz up to 40 liters. Between 20 and 40 liters per square meter are also expected for the west and southwest as well as along the low mountain ranges. A drop in water levels is therefore only likely towards Saturday.
The situation remains critical, especially in Lower Saxony. However, according to the fire department, an endangered dyke on the Hunte in Sandkrug in the district of Oldenburg, which has been secured with sandbags, is currently stable. However, the dyke is now under permanent video surveillance due to the large number of onlookers. Meanwhile, the Flotwedel fire department in the district of Celle reported the theft of an emergency power generator that was supplying several pumps for pumping out water. The emergency services were "shocked".
In view of the flood damage, Lower Saxony's Minister President Stephan Weil reiterated that the state would "help very quickly" in acute emergencies. He did not name a sum on Norddeutscher Rundfunk radio on Wednesday evening. The situation in other federal states also remains tense for the time being. The State Office for Nature, Environment and Consumer Protection in North Rhine-Westphalia reported rising water levels in parts of the Weser and Rhine. In Thuringia, the levels of the upper Werra, Ilm and upper Saale also rose after the continuous rain in the Thuringian Forest.
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Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz and his delegation visited the flood-stricken area in Saxony-Anhalt's Sangerhausen, specifically Oberröblingen, to assess the situation. During his visit, Scholz interacted with local residents, reassuring them that the federal government, federal states, and many others will work together to help those affected by the flood.
After this flooding incident, Chancellor Scholz plans to visit nearby Saxony-Anhalt again, emphasizing the importance of examining infrastructure and defense options against such natural events across Germany for improved preparation in the future.
Source: www.ntv.de
