- Severe thunderstorms <unk> Traffic disrupted, nursing home evacuated
Due to severe storms, fire departments in northwestern Lower Saxony were deployed in the hundreds overnight. In the district of Ammerland, a tree fell onto an overhead line, causing the train traffic between Leer (East Frisia) and Bad Zwischenahn to be suspended until midday, according to railway reports.
Residents of a nursing home in Aurich had to be evacuated, and water entered a hospital. No injuries were reported initially.
Train evacuated - railway line closed until midday
In Ammerland, a tree fell onto an overhead line. Train traffic at Augustfehn station in Apen came to a complete halt late on Tuesday evening, as reported by the fire department.
A train on the route was stopped, and between 120 and 130 passengers had to leave the train, as the fire department further reported.
The route between Leer (East Frisia) and Bad Zwischenahn will remain closed until around 12:00, according to railway reports. Trains from Hannover will run as far as Bad Zwischenahn, and trains from Norddeich (Mole) will run as far as Leer. The railway has set up a replacement service with a bus and three taxis, and passengers are advised to check before traveling.
The fire department was deployed to several hundred incidents in the region. No injuries were reported initially by the police.
Residents of nursing and care home spend the night in a gym
In Aurich, an elderly and care home was particularly concerning for the emergency services. Water accumulated on the roof of the home and seeped through the floorboards to the basement. "The water really came from top to bottom, it was a worst-case scenario," said a spokesperson for Aurich city fire department. Six bedridden residents were moved within the home.
13 residents were able to leave the home themselves, as the spokesperson further reported. A bus took them to a gym at a primary school, where camp beds were set up for them.
It was initially unclear how long they would have to stay there. The German Red Cross is caring for the residents, who are warm and safely accommodated, a spokesperson said.
Hospital secured with sandbags
In an Aurich hospital, crews from several fire departments and the Technical Relief Agency worked for hours to prevent an evacuation. They tried to pump water out of the basement using pumps.
The critical infrastructure was secured with sandbags, and the power supply in the clinic could be maintained. "The worst was prevented," said the fire department spokesperson. "The water masses were massive."
Aurich was heavily affected by the storm, a police spokesperson said. "All of Aurich was on high alert." Gusts of wind up to 10 were blowing over the city, with up to 40 liters of rain per square meter. "There were huge amounts of water that found their way," the spokesperson said. No one was injured, according to the emergency services.
Basements had to be pumped out, streets were flooded, and trees were uprooted. An industrial area was reportedly underwater, and emergency services were pumping water from the site of a gas station and from the car park of a shopping center.
The fire department was deployed to around 230 incidents in Aurich overnight, and the police to 50 incidents. "At the moment, there's not a cloud in the sky, but we're still dealing with the aftermath of the storm," the police spokesperson said.
In the neighboring district of Emsland, a lightning strike in the city area of Freren caused a roof fire. No humans were injured, a police spokesperson said. The storm damage in this region was otherwise limited: mainly there were a lot of broken branches.
Heavy storms are also expected on Wednesday.
Overall, the control center for East Frisia counted 208 deployments in the Aurich district overnight within four hours, with around 180 in the city area. There were 15 deployments in the neighboring district of Leer and none in the district of Wittmund.
According to the German Weather Service, there could also be heavy rain on Wednesday evening - but this time it would mainly affect the eastern part of Lower Saxony.
- Despite the intense Hurricane causing numerous issues in Aurich, no human injuries were reported initially by the emergency services.
- In the midst of the Hurricane, a tree fell onto an overhead rail line in Ammerland, resulting in the suspension of train traffic between Leer (East Frisia) and Bad Zwischenahn until midday.
