HANNOVER/MAGDEBURG (dpa-AFX) – The flood situation remains tense, especially in Lower Saxony. Even at the beginning of the new year, the weather is unlikely to provide any relief for the residents of flood areas. On Monday, the German Weather Service (DWD) in Offenbach again predicted a lot of rain for the coming days.
According to data from the State Office for Water Management, Coastal and Nature Conservation (NLWKN) from Monday, there is little change in water levels in many places in Lower Saxony. The authorities reported in the morning that a warning of major floods was active for the Leine, the Aller and the Upper and Middle Weser, among others.
Faeser visits flood areas
One day after Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD), Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser also wants to get an idea of the flood situation in Lower Saxony on New Year’s Day. In the afternoon (3 p.m.) the SPD politician wants to find out about the situation in Hatten-Sandkrug near Oldenburg and talk to emergency services.
She is accompanied by Lower Saxony’s Interior Minister Daniela Behrens (SPD), THW President Sabine Lackner and the President of the Federal Police, Dieter Romann.
If it rains continuously, there is a risk of further flooding
On New Year’s Eve, the DWD warned of continuous rain in Lower Saxony in the next few days. The official storm warning issued on Sunday evening is valid from Tuesday at midnight until probably Thursday night and thus falls into the already tense flood situation. There is great concern that the situation in the flood areas could worsen and that other parts of the country could have to contend with flooding.
Tense situation in the south of Saxony-Anhalt
In Saxony-Anhalt, the flood situation remains stable, although in some cases at a high level. According to the State Office for Flood Protection (LHW), the flood peak on the Elbe continued to move towards Tangermünde on Monday, where the second of four alert levels was reached. At the Barby gauge and further up the Elbe near Wittenberg, the water levels fell again on New Year’s Day.
However, the situation remains tense further south in Saxony-Anhalt on the border with Thuringia on the Helme. Because of the flooding on the river, the railway line between Sangerhausen in Saxony-Anhalt and Artern in Thuringia has been closed. The Mansfeld-Südharz district announced on Monday that the reason for the closure was the use of an excavator on the railway embankment near Oberröblingen to secure the dike there.
Helpers have to deal with onlookers
The helpers in Saxony-Anhalt also have to deal with onlookers again and again. In Lostau (Jerichower Land), for example, several people were found in an unseaworthy children’s inflatable boat in the flooded area of the Elbe, as the police announced on Sunday. In the south of Saxony-Anhalt, the police authorities also warned against entering the dikes./slb/DP/he