Water levels are rising, and protective measures in Austria, the Czech Republic and Poland are in full swing. People in Germany are also on guard – time is running out for the demolition of the Carola Bridge in Dresden.
Berlin – Due to the heavy rainfall, Germany’s eastern neighbouring countries are threatened with massive flooding – and the German Weather Service (DWD) is also warning Germany of the dangers of persistent rain. In Dresden in particular, people are on alert, as time is running out for the demolition of the collapsed part of the Carola Bridge.
In the Czech Republic, heavy, persistent rain has already led to flood alerts on many rivers and streams. The highest warning level 3 (“danger”) was in effect this morning at more than 35 water level stations, for example in Spindleruv Mlyn (Spindlermühle) on the upper reaches of the Elbe.
According to the Czech weather service CHMU, 100 to 170 millimeters of rainfall fell in the most affected regions in the last 24 hours. In Mikulovice in the Jesenik district, masses of water from the surrounding fields flooded houses and streets. The Bela, a tributary of the Kłodzko Neisse, also caused problems there. In the neighboring Polish region of Opole, the river, which is called Biala Glucholaska there, overflowed its banks. 400 residents had to be evacuated from the village of Glucholazy.
In Prague, preparations for the expected flooding of the Vltava were in full swing. Flood protection walls were to be erected along the banks of other parts of the city. Shipping traffic was suspended. The flooding in the Czech capital was expected to peak on Sunday night with a flow of around 1,000 cubic meters of water per second.
Flooding expected on the Danube
In Austria, too, heavy rainfall is causing water levels to rise in several bodies of water, which has already led to numerous fire service operations in parts of the country during the night. In Lower Austria, for example, rescuers were called out 160 times during the night around the state capital Vienna, the spokesperson for the state command reported.
Flooding is expected on the Danube, the likes of which only occur every 30 years on average. Mobile flood protection has been set up in the Wachau region, for example. On the Kamp, a tributary of the Danube, authorities are preparing for a 100-year flood. Some holiday homes have already been evacuated. In some places the river has already overflowed its banks. On the Kamp, the disaster relief service was called in to protect a substation in Langenlois.
Water levels of the Elbe in Saxony are rising
Heavy rainfall is also causing the water levels of the Elbe in Saxony to rise. Alarm level 1 may be reached at the Schöna gauge on Saturday evening, and for Dresden this is expected early on Sunday morning, as the Saxon State Flood Center informed in a warning message.
That is why time is running out for the demolition work on the collapsed part of Dresden’s Carola Bridge. “We are really working against the clock,” said fire department spokesman Michael Klahre. Work continued uninterrupted during the night. “We are making good progress.” The aim is still to have the clearance work completed by Sunday. “Because the water level is continuing to rise, and if this area is flooded, then we will no longer be able to work here,” explained Klahre, referring to the flooding expected for the Elbe. The highest water levels at the Elbe gauges in Saxony are currently expected from Wednesday and Thursday of next week.
The situation in Chiemgau in Bavaria is also tense after hours of continuous rain. In the municipality of Aschau, for example, emergency services filled sandbags because the groundwater and surface water levels were rising. The DWD expected persistent rain, some of it storm-like, particularly in the southeast, and a lot of fresh snow in the higher elevations of the Alps.
Since Thursday, the DWD has recorded 40 to 80 millimetres of precipitation from the Alps, across the foothills to the Bavarian Forest. At the edge of the Alps, there was up to one metre in places, and in Berchtesgaden there were up to 1.40 metres of water locally. dpa
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