This is how critical the flood situation is across Germany

A dam in the Harz Mountains is full, evacuations are necessary in Lower Saxony and Thuringia, dyke breaches are feared in East Frisia and damage has been detected in Northeim and North Rhine-Westphalia. The flood situation is critical in many places. An overview.

The weather situation in Germany eased somewhat on Boxing Day, but there is still a risk of flooding in many places. The situation was critical in Lower Saxony, among other places. In the district of Leer, it was possible to prevent dyke breaches at two particularly vulnerable locations. Two villages in Thuringia and Saxony-Anhalt were evacuated. By midday, the German Weather Service had lifted all severe weather warnings in connection with heavy continuous rain. However: "The flood situation on the rivers remains very tense in some places", the authority in Offenbach announced.

All water levels on the Oker in Lower Saxony were above the highest reporting level. The Oker dam reached its maximum capacity; as a result, more water was released into the Oker. The city administration of Braunschweig expected this to have an impact on the flood situation in the city late in the evening. Some roads along the Oker were closed.

In Celle, the fire department reportedly secured a retirement and nursing home. A sandbag dam there had to be constantly raised and adjusted, they said. In Altencelle, a dog that was trapped by the floodwaters on a raised area also had to be rescued. Several roads in Celle were closed due to the flooding.

The power is turned off on the Wümme

In Rinteln, Lower Saxony, more than a hundred residents of a street flooded by the Weser had to leave their homes, as reported by NDR. In the town of Northeim, a dyke broke; the waters of the Rhume flowed unhindered into a recreational lake.

The Bremen fire department also spoke of a tense flood situation. Numerous properties near the river Wümme were under water. In some areas, the electricity had to be cut off and a care center was set up for affected residents.

In East Frisia, several hundred firefighters stabilized dikes in East Frisia on Tuesday night to prevent dike breaches. In the municipality of Langholt, the deployment of the fire departments was reduced to a minimum, as the district fire department announced on Tuesday. The water levels had fallen by around 30 centimetres during the night; it had not been necessary to evacuate residents.

The night-time safety measures were also successful in nearby Hollen, a district of the municipality of Uplengen. The dyke remained stable during the night and also during inspections on Tuesday. However, the dykes will continue to be monitored in order to be able to react immediately in the event of renewed danger.

Windehausen may no longer be entered

The situation in the district of Mansfeld-Südharz in Saxony-Anhalt was also tense. "After the continuous rainfall over the past few days, the Kelbra reservoir has reached its capacity limit, meaning that there is a risk of flooding in the villages along the Helme," the district announced. Residents of the village of Thürungen were asked to leave their homes. The evacuation was reportedly completed by the evening.

In Hamm in North Rhine-Westphalia, numerous emergency services were still busy with safety measures after damage to a dyke was discovered.

In northern Thuringia, a district of the municipality of Heringen had already been evacuated on Monday due to flooding and the failure of the power supply. The local administration called on the residents of Windehausen to leave the area. According to the mayor, around 100 of the almost 500 inhabitants remained in the village. The situation in Windehausen had deteriorated since Sunday. The village could no longer be reached by normal cars due to the flooding. On Tuesday, Windehausen was still under water; electricity is expected to be unavailable for several more days. Overall, however, the flood situation in Thuringia is also expected to ease in the coming days.

A ban on entering Windehausen in northern Thuringia has also been imposed. This is intended to keep the limited access for the rescue services free and disaster tourists away, said Matthias Marquardt, mayor of the town of Heringen, to which Windehausen belongs. "The situation is currently still critical, but stable." The crisis team will decide on Wednesday whether and when residents can return to their homes.

Faeser thanks the emergency services

In Dresden, the Terrassenufer was already closed on Monday due to the rising level of the Elbe. The city's environmental department expects water levels to continue to rise over the next few days. The Dresden Christmas Circus, which had pitched its tents on the Elbe, canceled its performances scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday. An ecumenical church service planned for Boxing Day could not take place either.

Federal Minister of the Interior Nancy Faeser thanked the emergency services throughout Germany. "Thousands of volunteers are working tirelessly alongside the full-time emergency services and are unable to spend Christmas with their families," the SPD politician told the Rheinische Post newspaper. "What they do for all of us deserves the greatest appreciation and respect."