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Weather — News — Olaf Scholz — Daniela Behrens — SPD — Bremen — Northern Germany — Lower Saxony — Flood — North Rhine-Westphalia — parting — THW — Area — Water level — Germany — Rain — Flood zone — Fire department — stephan because

Waiting for the new rain - Olaf Scholz travels to affected areas

The water levels in the flooded areas have peaked - for now. But new rain is already in the forecast, and in some places it is expected to be heavy. Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz is planning a trip to Verden/Aller, which has been hit by flooding.

,   and  Anne Legman
3 min read
The view could be stunning if the water belonged there - but it doesn't: flooding in Winsen an der....aussiedlerbote.de
The view could be stunning if the water belonged there - but it doesn't: flooding in Winsen an der Aller.aussiedlerbote.de

Floods in northern Germany - Waiting for the new rain - Olaf Scholz travels to affected areas

Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) is traveling to the flood area in northern Lower Saxony, according to the Lower Saxony State Chancellery. Scholz, Lower Saxony's Minister President Stephan Weil (SPD) and State Interior Minister Daniela Behrens (SPD) are expected to arrive in Verden near Bremen on Sunday morning.

Scholz thanks the aid workers

In addition to a sightseeing flight over the affected areas, Scholz, Weil and Behrens want to talk to citizens who have been affected by the floods. Afterwards, the Chancellor would like to thank the relief workers, according to the State Chancellery.

For many volunteer fire departments, the Federal Agency for Technical Relief (THW) and many other helpers, the floods mean that they will probably have to spend the New Year in action. The authorities have recently been particularly concerned about softened dykes.

In recent decades, heads of government have repeatedly traveled to areas affected by flooding. In 2021, then German Chancellor Angela Merkel (CDU) encouraged the people of the Ahr Valley in Rhineland-Palatinate and North Rhine-Westphalia.

Are river levels rising again?

For days, thousands of emergency services have been battling the consequences of heavy rainfall in several areas of Germany. Parts of Lower Saxony, southern Saxony-Anhalt on the border with Thuringia and areas in North Rhine-Westphalia are particularly affected. The weather situation had recently eased slightly. However, meteorologists are expecting more rain over the next few days. Aid workers fear that the river levels could then rise again.

The Lower Saxony State Agency for Water Management, Coastal Defence and Nature Conservation had announced that several water levels had peaked and would fall again. According to the information, however, the water levels in the middle and lower reaches of the Aller, Leine and Oker would remain at the current level for the time being.

The German Weather Service (DWD) predicted showery rain in some areas in the north-west and west for the morning of New Year's Eve. For Tuesday, it predicted persistent and heavy rain in parts of Germany. There is great concern that the situation on the rivers could worsen again.

"Disaster tourists are annoying"

To save the emergency services extra work, several cities in Lower Saxony, such as Celle, recommend that fireworks and firecrackers are not set off on New Year's Eve. The emergency services are already working at full capacity due to the flooding. In some cases, bans on fireworks were also issued, such as in the municipality of Lilienthal in the district of Osterholz near Bremen.

The district also feared that many onlookers would be out and about in the flood area on New Year's Eve. State Interior Minister Daniela Behrens described onlookers and disaster tourists as annoying. "Many people are traveling to see the masses of water. They ignore the barriers." There have already been several cases in which the fire department had to rescue onlookers, said the Minister of the Interior.

Read also:

  1. Olaf Scholz, the SPD's Federal Chancellor, is heading to the flood-affected areas in northern Lower Saxony, as per the Lower Saxony State Chancellery's announcement.
  2. Scholz, alongside Lower Saxony's Minister President Stephan Weil (SPD) and State Interior Minister Daniela Behrens (SPD), are scheduled to arrive in Verden near Bremen on Sunday morning.
  3. The Chancellor and his companions plan to view the affected areas from a sightseeing flight and engage with affected citizens.
  4. Utilizing the aid workers' services, Scholz intends to pay his gratitude, as per the State Chancellery.
  5. Thousands of emergency services have tirelessly dealt with the consequences of heavy precipitation across multiple German areas, particularly affecting Lower Saxony, southern Saxony-Anhalt, and North Rhine-Westphalia.
  6. Flood zone residents should refrain from setting off fireworks or firecrackers on New Year's Eve, as emergency services are fully engaged due to flooding incidents.
  7. In parts of Germany, the DWD forecasts showery rain for New Year's Eve morning and heavy persistent rain on Tuesday, generating concerns about the rivers' worsening conditions.
  8. Daniela Behrens, Lower Saxony's Interior Minister, called onlookers and "disaster tourists" annoying, with instances of fire departments needing to rescue onlookers disregarding barriers.

Source: www.stern.de

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