Heavy storm - Trendelburg is like a rubble after a heavy rain
A severe storm with heavy rain has devastated the region north of Kassel overnight into Friday. Gottsbüren, a district of Trendelburg, looks like a war zone in the morning. Floodwaters have thrown cars around the town like toys. One person was buried and several were trapped in their cars, Trendelburg Mayor Manuel Zeich (independent) reported. A firefighter was lightly injured in the operation. No other injuries were reported.
Trendelburg-Gottsbüren is the hardest hit, according to Kassel district vice-president Silke Engler (SPD). "The scene there is catastrophic," she said in Trendelburg. Cleanup efforts are underway at full speed. "We've requested heavy equipment and it's already in use." It will take the weekend to restore some order, and the extent of the damage is not yet known.
"Those without a reason to be there should stay away"
Engler urged people not to come to the affected areas as sightseers. "The people there have enough on their hands. Those without a reason to be there should stay away."
Volunteer help is welcome, said Zeich, but only if coordinated. Those who wish to help should contact the municipality at [email protected].
It is currently being checked whether buildings are at risk of collapse, said Zeich. Affected residents will be accommodated in an emergency shelter if necessary. The exact number of evacuees is not yet known.
Damage to district hospital
In Hofgeismar (Kassel district), heavy rain caused damage to the district hospital. The ventilation system, which supplies the operating rooms among other areas, had to be shut down, said operations manager Silvan Uick. "As a result, no operations can be performed for an indefinite period. We also cannot currently handle deliveries. The safety of our patients always comes first."
Only the departments for internal medicine and the intensive care unit can continue their normal operations. The emergency room is closed for serious surgical cases, and only minor cases are being treated.
Innenminister Roman Poseck (CDU) said: "Thanks to the quick and coordinated action of the rescue services, the worst was prevented. It is their merit that obviously no one was harmed."
Resident Christina Wiesmann-Günter stands in shock in her house in the town center. She can't go out through the door: three cars are blocking the entrance, a small truck was pushed against the wall. The kitchen floor is covered in mud, the furniture was washed into the garden, of which little remains. The water came without warning, she says, and then rose very quickly.
Cars are scattered throughout the town - they got stuck wherever they found resistance: against walls, fences, slopes, and some are even stacked on top of each other, dented, in the mud. Two people were trapped in their vehicles and had to be rescued with a wheel loader. Emergency services report that they have rescued people from houses with boats.
In addition to Trendelburg, Hofgeismar, Bad Karlshafen, Reinhardshagen, and Wesertal are also particularly affected. Basements and ground floors are flooded everywhere.
It started raining on Thursday evening, with "extreme heavy rain" coming in the night, according to a spokesperson for the Landkreis Kassel. Around midnight, the situation worsened, and an emergency task force was set up. Around 500 personnel were on duty throughout the night, replaced by fresh teams in the morning.
"Extremely heavy rain"
According to the Hessian State Office for Nature Conservation, Environment and Geology (HLNUG), over 90 liters per square meter of rainfall were measured at the Hofgeismar-Beberbeck station. Locally, it could have been over 150 liters per square meter. It wasn't until early morning around 5:30 AM that the "extremely heavy rain" finally let up.
Flower pots, heating oil tanks, and trees swept away
In Gottsbüren, craters line the street, and meters-long cracks crisscross the surface. Floodwaters swept away trash cans, flower pots, heating oil tanks, and trees. In Wülmersen, a liquid gas tank was torn away.
There are currently concerns about a reservoir in Hofgeismar-Hombressen, which threatens to overflow, but the situation is stable, according to the Landkreis. In Gottsbüren, transformer houses were damaged, leaving half the town without power.
The SPD's Silke Engler, the district vice-president of Kassel, has identified Trendelburg-Gottsbüren as the hardest-hit area, with Engler stating, "The scene there is catastrophic." In response to the devastation, Engler has urged people not to visit the affected areas as sightseers, saying, "Those without a reason to be there should stay away."
