Weather situation eases somewhat - but high risk of flooding in many places
At midday on Tuesday, the German Weather Service lifted all existing 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 on Tuesday evening. Some roads along the Oker have already been closed.
In Rinteln, Lower Saxony, more than a hundred residents of a street flooded by the Weser had to leave their homes on Tuesday, as reported by NDR. In the town of Northeim, a dyke broke; the waters of the Rhume, a tributary of the Leine, flowed unhindered into a recreational lake. Lower Saxony's Minister President Stephan Weil (SPD) came to see the flood situation in Northeim on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, 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 had remained stable during the night and also during current inspections on Tuesday morning. However, the dykes will continue to be monitored in order to be able to react immediately in the event of renewed danger.
In the north of Thuringia, a district of the municipality of Heringen was 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. Heringen's mayor Matthias Marquardt (Left Party) told the AFP news agency that by Monday evening, the majority of the almost 500 residents had responded to the call.
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 was also expected to ease in the coming days.
In Dresden, the Terrassenufer was already closed on Monday due to the rising level of the Elbe. The city's environmental agency expects water levels to continue to rise over the next few days. The Dresden Christmas Circus, which has 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. It was decided to "partially clear the site and secure the facilities for reasons of safety for people and animals", the operator announced.
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Source: www.stern.de
