NLower Saxony's Interior Minister Daniela Behrens (SPD) has appealed to disaster tourists not to hinder the emergency services in flood areas. Many traveled specifically to see the masses of water and ignored the barriers, Behrens told the news magazine “Der Spiegel” at the weekend: “There have already been several cases in which the already extremely strained fire department had to rescue onlookers who were stranded.” This was their own fault If you find yourself in an emergency, you have to expect to pay for the rescue yourself.
Behrens reported that kite surfers have even been spotted on the water in the flood areas: “This is life-threatening because, unlike in well-known bodies of water, they don’t know what obstacles can appear in front of or underneath them.” They can The minister emphasized that we should only warn against such “life-threatening nonsense”.
Lower Saxony is particularly affected by flooding after persistent rainfall. Among other things, the rivers Aller, Ems, Leine and Weser overflowed their banks and flooded entire areas of the country.
Chancellor Scholz landed in Lower Saxony
On Sunday, Chancellor Olaf Scholz got an impression of the flood situation in northern Lower Saxony on a sightseeing flight in a helicopter. The SPD politician landed in Verden on New Year's Eve morning with an Air Force plane. Accompanied by Lower Saxony's Prime Minister Stephan Weil (SPD) and the State Interior Minister Behrens, Scholz got into a car after landing in brown leather shoes. The Chancellor initially did not make any comment.
There was relaxation around Celle on Sunday. The water level of the Aller has continued to fall and the weather situation gives hope that no major rainfall is to be expected, the district announced on Sunday morning. “However, the situation remains dynamic and is constantly being monitored,” said District Administrator Axel Flader (CDU).
In Wathlingen, where the water had damaged a dike, around 550 helpers had been on duty since Saturday afternoon. They used around 16,000 sandbags to stabilize the dike until the night. According to the current status, the situation in Wathlingen is secured.
An emergency shelter in a school center for up to 300 people has been put into standby mode and can be made available again within an hour.
Elbe flooding falls to alert level 1
The flooding of the Elbe in Saxony has fallen to alert level 1 at most measuring points. The lowest alert level was in effect on Sunday both at the Dresden gauge and in Schöna on the Czech border, as well as downstream in Riesa. According to an overview from the state flood center, there was no longer a flood warning at the Torgau gauge in northern Saxony.
In the state capital Dresden, a water level of 4.48 meters was measured on New Year's Eve morning. The day before it was 5.30 meters. Hydrologists expect water levels to stagnate over the next few days. This means that alert level 1 is expected to remain in place for a few more days. In Dresden it applies from four meters. Normal is around two meters.
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