The flood scenario in southern Germany keeps deteriorating.
On a tour of the severely flood-stricken Augsburg region, Bavarian Prime Minister Markus Söder and Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann (both CSU) gauged the predicament over the weekend. Söder urged citizens to adhere to the instructions of law enforcement authorities due to the expectation of more swelling water levels, the Interior Department stated.
In Augsburg's Fischach district, people were evacuated from their homes, with some required to be whisked away by helicopters. Downpours caused a reservoir and lagoon to overflow, resulting in mud cascading over the edges, and streets drowning. The Authorities in Augsburg recommended the residents of Fischach, Gessertshausen, and Langenneufnach to vacate designated zones and prevent basement garages and underground cellars.
Afternoons witnessed the evacuation of the district of Anhausen in Diedorf due to a dam breach. An official from the district office reported to the press that people were rescued from their homes submerged beneath water by helicopters.
The evenings saw residents of the municipalities Altenmünster, Batzenhofen, Gablingen, Achsheim, Eisenbrechtshofen, Biberbach, Allmannshofen, Hahnenweiler, and Nordendorf being counseled to prioritize their safety. Those unable to stay with relatives or friends were instructed to go to temporary shelters.
In addition to Augsburg, the districts of Aichach-Friedberg, Neu-Ulm, Freising, Pfaffenhofen, Donau-Ries, and Unterallgäu were announced to be in a catastrophic predicament on Saturday, while the district of Günzburg already declared so on Friday night. The Aichach-Friedberg district office claimed this action offered optimum organization and mobilization of help.
Munich's state capital registered an Isar water level of 301 cm, categorized as stage two of the flood advisory, requiring nearby areas and roads close to the Isar to be shut. In Upper Palatinate, the A3 motorway was swamped and closed for approximately 10 km between the exits Parsberg and Beratzhausen.
The Interior Ministry announced 520 THW responders were active on Saturday, harmonized with other forces for fortifying dikes and pumping water. The THW prepared to deploy further nationwide helpers.
Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser (SPD) expressed gratitude to the emergency teams operating round-the-clock to shield human lives. "My deepest respect goes to the volunteer and professional firefighters, the THW, other aid organizations, and the police," she remarked further.
Rail transit was disrupted in Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg - on the routes Munich-Bregenz-Zurich and Stuttgart-Ulm-Augsburg-Munich, no trains were operational, as per the German Railways.
On the mountains, there was hefty snowfall - yet, a group of 26 hikers endeavored to ascend the Zugspitze and encountered issues, as broadcast by the Bavarian Broadcasting Corporation, sourced from the Garmisch-Partenkirchen Mountain Rescue Serve . After a report by "Münchner Merkur," the mountain rescue service averted all the affected climbers and transferred them to the Zugspitzplatt below the peak.
In eastern Baden-Württemberg, multiple major floods were sparked during the night on Saturday, according to the Land Environment Agency. Catastrophic floods could emerge in the Oberschwaben region and at eastern Neckar tributaries, as well as the Danube and Lake Constance tributaries.
The municipality of Meckenbeuren in the Bodenseekreis cautioned around 1,300 individuals confronting the flood risk to vacate their dwellings and residences.
The German Weather Service (DWD) announced inclement weather and long-enduring rain in the southern half of Germany and foretold intense thunderstorms with robust rainfall in Saxony.
In Switzerland, the eastern and inner parts of the nation experienced heavy rainfall, resulting in numerous floods. The flood situation remained tense, with further rainfall anticipated on Sunday.
