Water levels rise - danger of dike breaches increases

Flood situation - Water levels rise - danger of dike breaches increases

Dozens of white sandbags are piled up in front of the entrance to the Bümmersteder Krug - an Oldenburg inn that is known nationwide for its kale. Employees, neighbors and friends of the inn have piled up the bags to protect the business from the threat of flooding. Although the flood situation is expected to worsen again in many places in the north-west in the coming days after persistent rainfall, innkeeper Nico Winkelmann is still hopeful.

"We are very optimistic that we will be able to start on Saturday, January 13. That's when the first Kohlball takes place," Winkelmann told the German Press Agency on Wednesday. More than 200 guests are expected. But before then, not only Oldenburg, which has already been affected by the floods in recent days, but also other regions are facing a new test.

Rising water levels on the Hunte and Hase rivers

Persistent rain threatens to exacerbate the situation again in many places. Water levels have risen again, particularly in the catchment areas of the Hunte near Bremen and the Hase in Emsland, the Lower Saxony Water Management, Coastal Defence and Nature Conservation Agency (NLWKN) announced in its situation report on Wednesday. It can still be assumed that the highest water levels of the past week will be reached or exceeded again.

According to the NLWKN, the situation will also worsen again in the upper reaches of the Weser with rising water levels in the coming days. On the Aller, Leine, Oker and tributaries as well as other river basins, where the water is also rising again, the peak water levels of the past few days will probably not be reached again.

In Meppen, which lies on the Ems and Hase rivers, the water levels that had recently fallen are already rising again. "We still have the situation under control, but we are still constantly on alert - and we have to be," said Meppen's mayor Helmut Knurbein in a statement with regard to the weather situation.

Scientist sees growing risk of dyke breaches

Experts are concerned about the condition of the dykes, some of which are already softened. This is because the water pressure, which has already lasted for days, and the rising water levels are increasing the risk of local dyke breaches. "The dykes provide sufficient protection against flooding as long as water does not accumulate on them over a longer period of time," said Torsten Schlurmann, Head of the Ludwig Franzius Institute of Hydraulic, Estuarine and Coastal Engineering at Leibniz Universität Hannover.

An important task of the emergency services is therefore to constantly monitor the dykes, for example with dyke runners on the ground or with the help of drones from the air. This is because signs of a possible dyke breach can be recognized in advance. The higher the water level in the river and the longer the damming lasts, the more water is pushed through the dyke, said Schlurmann. "What can then inevitably happen is that the water washes out material from inside the dyke. The dyke then loses its internal load-bearing capacity. As soon as water seeps through the dyke and leaks out on the land side, this is a sure sign that danger is imminent."

Lower Saxony receives sandbags from other federal states

In order to secure dykes, for example, Lower Saxony is now also drawing on reserves of sandbags from other federal states. According to the NLWKN, all but a small amount of its own reserve of around 1.9 million sandbags stored since the start of the flood situation before Christmas has now been used. However, the state has now received around 1.5 million more sandbags from other federal states. This means that there are enough sandbags available for the coming days, according to the Ministry of the Environment.

Fighting the floods with pumps, sandbags and mobile dykes

Residents of particularly affected streets in Oldenburg can pick up up to 15 sandbags. "The affected residents can use these sandbags to seal openings in their homes, such as cellar entrances and doors," the city announced on its website. Due to the flooding, several hundred people in Oldenburg still have to prepare for a possible evacuation. Emergency services had erected a mobile dyke over a length of around two kilometers in case the Hunte dyke can no longer withstand the masses of water.

Celle is also arming itself with a mobile dyke as a "second line of defense". In an emergency, it is intended to withstand the incoming water volumes around the Osterdeich, as the city announced. The condition of the dyke is being continuously assessed.

The situation was similar in the flooded areas of Lilienthal near Bremen. The water levels had recently fallen slightly, said a municipal spokeswoman. However, entire streets were still under water and many people were still unable to return to their evacuated homes. The emergency services are using pumps to get the masses of water under control.

Releasing flood relief workers from work

"We have a situation that has been summed up in three words over the last few days: critical, but stable," said Minister President Stephan Weil (SPD). More than 100,000 helpers are working across the country.

Weil appealed to companies to continue to release them from their actual work to deal with the flood situation. This appeal applies for the coming days and, if necessary, also for the next week, according to a statement from the State Chancellery on Wednesday. Companies have the right to be reimbursed for any losses incurred as a result of their employees being absent. The state will try to find a pragmatic way to do this, it said.

Lower Saxony wants to examine flood aid

Lower Saxony's state government also wants to examine how those affected by the floods can be helped financially. However, the majority of the damage could not yet be quantified because they were still under water, said Weil. According to the SPD politician, one possibility could be so-called equity payments. These were available during the 2017 floods. According to Weil, these payments amounted to ten million euros at the time. He did not initially name a figure for the possible new aid. Meanwhile, at federal level, SPD budget politicians have brought up the idea of suspending the debt brake once again.

Less rain in the next few days

At least there is a slight respite in sight: according to the German Weather Service (DWD), it should remain mostly dry in most of Lower Saxony on Thursday. Light rain is only expected in the south of the state. A slight easing is expected for the weekend. No flood-relevant precipitation is predicted, the NLWKN announced with reference to the DWD forecast. "My wish list currently consists of one word: sunshine," said Minister President Weil.

Situation report