DThere has been no major weather chaos in southern Hesse on Wednesday so far. Given the weather forecast, many drivers apparently stayed at home, there was little activity on the highways and the predicted snow around midday did not fall. Freezing rain set in around 1 p.m., which resulted in a few accidents.
The population had been warned several times by weather services and authorities the day before about the risk of black ice. Shortly after 7 a.m., many citizens were startled by a shrill sound on their cell phones because the Federal Office for Civil Protection and Disaster Relief warned of “extreme black ice” via cell broadcast. The German Weather Service in Offenbach had issued the highest severe weather warning level for parts of Hesse due to the extreme risk of black ice.
No plane take-offs were possible at Frankfurt Airport for hours since midday. The aircraft could no longer be safely de-iced before take-off due to the persistent freezing rain, said a spokesman for the operator Fraport. Previously, more than half of all planned flights had already been canceled due to the black ice and snow warnings. Of more than 1,000 planned flights, almost 600 were canceled by midmorning.
The southern Hesse districts had prepared well given the weather forecasts. Schools were canceled in many communities, which is why no school buses had to run. Many daycare centers also remained closed and only emergency care was offered.
By midday, local public transport was hardly affected, apart from the Groß-Gerau district, where the Groß-Gerau local transport company (LNVG) stopped operating completely at around 10 a.m. From that afternoon onwards, local transport in the Rheingau-Taunus district was completely stopped. In the Odenwald only the city buses run in Erbach and Michelstadt. Since 4 p.m., the RB45 regional train trains have been completely canceled between Gießen and Fulda, as the RMV announced. An emergency bus service could not be set up due to the weather. There are no trams in Mainz, and there are very limited services in Darmstadt.
“We are prepared for anything”
In numerous schools in the Rhine-Main area, lessons were canceled or taught at a distance. In Darmstadt, for example, all schools remained closed. As the Ministry of Culture announced, in such a dangerous situation it is the responsibility of the school authorities to decide together with the schools whether they can remain open. The Ministry of Culture cannot give a general recommendation: “We do not presume to be able to assess the situation on site,” said a spokesman. The school authorities could assess the situation better. The final and most important decision-making authority is the parents. In extreme weather conditions, you can also decide not to send your child to class. However, the school must be informed about this.
Many schools switched to distance learning on Wednesday. In the Offenbach district, for example, all schools should go into remote operation. According to the ministry spokesman, this procedure has now been tried and tested: “The schools are better prepared than before. Today you can reach students better through well-established technical options.” The city of Frankfurt left the decision to the schools. As the head of the State Education Authority, Evelin Spyra, explained, she has informed the schools to deal with the situation prudently and to inform parents. Most schools in Frankfurt have decided to hold face-to-face classes but to end earlier. On Thursday, lessons in many schools don't start until the third hour. Emergency care must also be guaranteed in primary schools.
Motorway temporarily closed
Around midday, some light snow began to fall, but the predicted snow masses failed to materialize. Even in the Odenwald, for which significant amounts of snow were forecast, only a little of the white splendor fell.
“We are prepared for anything,” said the local transport company. Depending on the weather and traffic conditions, you decide when which buses will no longer run. In the Odenwald, bus traffic around Höchst was stopped in the morning because it was slippery there; in the Darmstadt-Dieburg district, Darmstadt HEAG buses no longer served Pfungstadt-Hahn because the roads were not gritted. In Rüsselsheim, bus traffic ran largely normally until the afternoon, and there were hardly any cancellations in the Odenwald and on Bergstrasse as well as in the Darmstadt-Dieburg district.
Little by little, individual bus routes were discontinued because layers of ice even formed on many main roads in the afternoon.
“It’s as smooth as glass,” said a spokeswoman for the South Hesse police headquarters at around 2 p.m. Motorway 67 was particularly affected, with several accidents occurring in quick succession. However, there was still some damage to the sheet metal and a few people were slightly injured. Shortly before 2 p.m. the motorway near Lorsch had to be completely closed because three cars had crashed into each other, and around 12 p.m. two trucks had already slid into the guardrails.
Many public facilities were also closed due to the weather. The Darmstadt-Dieburg district asked everyone who had an appointment on Wednesday to reschedule their appointments. The city of Raunheim (Groß-Gerau district) announced that the town hall would be closed not only on Wednesday but also on Thursday due to the weather.
The gritting services in the municipalities and on the motorways were staffed up and were in constant use with all available vehicles.
#Onset #winter #Glassy #streets #chaos
