01/04/2024 – 21:38
Floods and floods affect much of the north, center and east of the country, before the arrival of cold and dry weather. Chancellor Olaf Scholz visits affected regions and praises the work of volunteers. After weeks of heavy flooding in several parts of the country, river floods and flood warnings continued to affect much of northern, central and eastern Germany this Thursday (04/01). The rains of the last few days have raised the levels of some of the rivers that had already burst their banks.
The German Weather Service (DWD) assesses that the situation is still quite tense, especially in the center and northwest of the country, where the weather is expected to remain humid. Meteorologists predict more rain in the region before the weekend, although at a lower level than in recent days.
From next Sunday, an area of strong pressure is expected to bring colder and drier conditions, with freezing temperatures and snow in some spots.
German Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz visited the state of Saxony-Anhalt, in the east of the country, where the River Helme is still under maximum flood alert. He praised the efforts of volunteers working to minimize damage in the region. “This is a great sign of solidarity and shows that we can unite in Germany. We will not leave anyone alone,” he stated.
State governments are asking the federal government to declare a state of emergency to allow for additional financial loans to help with the efforts.
Critical situation in several cities
Several rivers in Saxony-Anhalt were still at alert level 3 on Thursday, the second highest on the German scale. In the neighboring state of Saxony, river levels were still well above normal in places with a large urban concentration, such as in the central region of Dresden, where the River Elbe flows.
In Lower Saxony, the state that suffered the greatest damage in the floods that occurred at the turn of the year, the situation remains critical in several cities and villages. Around 100,000 people – including emergency service workers and volunteers – mobilized to help contain the damage. Emergency teams also arrived from France.
The Lilienthal region, north of Bremen, was probably the most affected in the state. Around 20,000 people had to leave their homes, but some of them have already been allowed to return, although there are still many empty houses and apartments, according to local authorities. In the last few hours, however, the water level began to recede.
rc (AFP, DPA, DW)
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