The steady rain in western Germany is expected to subside – but the situation remains tense in many places. The all-clear is not given everywhere. Two firefighters are killed in the storm.
Altena / Hagen / Daun / Wuppertal – The consequences of the rain storm, especially in western Germany, will continue to occupy many people in the affected regions today.
The extreme continuous rain in large parts of North Rhine-Westphalia, Rhineland-Palatinate and Saarland should, according to the forecast by the German Weather Service (DWD), subside at night. But in many places the clean-up work should now begin. North Rhine-Westphalia’s Prime Minister Armin Laschet (CDU) wants to visit the Ruhr area city of Hagen, which has been particularly hard hit by flooding. In Rhineland-Palatinate, schools in the Vulkaneifel district are to remain closed.
Two firefighters are killed
Deep “Bernd” determines the weather in Germany with warm, humid air masses. According to the DWD, it will remain changeable in the next few days with showers and thunderstorms, sometimes with heavy rain. This led to alarms in many places on Wednesday: there were landslides, streets were flooded, cellars were full and rail and road traffic were disrupted.
In Altena in the Sauerland, a 46-year-old firefighter drowned during rescue work after heavy rain. “We are currently assuming a tragic accident,” said a police spokesman in the Märkischer Kreis on Wednesday evening. In Altena – as in many other places – cellars and streets were flooded. The Lenne River, which overflowed its banks, further exacerbated the situation there. The water ran into the city center. Altena was “as good as unreachable,” said the police in the afternoon. Just two hours after the first fatal accident, a 52-year-old firefighter collapsed while working in the area of the Werdohl-Elverlingsen power plant and died despite resuscitation and relief measures.
Wupper dam threatens to overflow
The authorities in the Bergisches Land expected an uncontrolled overflow of the Wupper dam near Radevormwald that night. In the evening, the Oberbergische Kreis warned under the heading “Evacuation” that the water level of the Wupper in the urban area of Radevormwald would swell very quickly in a short time. The residents along the Wupper in the urban area were asked to leave the danger area immediately. “There is an acute danger to life!” According to the city of Wuppertal, at the current flow speed of the Wupper, flooding in Wuppertal could occur three hours after the overflow. “People should not stay near the Wupper at night, especially not in hollow areas,” it said in a statement.
In Aachen, the electricity in the historic center of Kornelimünster was switched off due to flooding. In Düsseldorf, a settlement was evacuated because of the threat of flooding; To be on the safe side, the power should also be switched off there.
Operation of numerous railway lines ceased
Deutsche Bahn advised all rail travelers to bypass North Rhine-Westphalia as far as possible. “Please postpone trips to and from NRW to the next few days if possible,” it said in a message. On Wednesday, numerous railway lines were shut down. The railway reported, among other things, of delays and cancellations of trains between Cologne and Düsseldorf and between Cologne and Wuppertal. The routes between Cologne and Koblenz were not passable on either side of the Rhine. ICE trains between Frankfurt and Brussels only ran between Frankfurt and Cologne.
In Rhineland-Palatinate, the Vulkaneifel district declared a disaster after heavy rains and floods. “The situation is very serious, we have many flooded streets and towns that can no longer be reached,” said District Administrator Julia Gieseking (SPD) in Daun. The schools in the district should remain closed today. “I appeal to the population that everyone stay at home and protect themselves from the masses of water,” said Gieseking.
Support from the Bundeswehr
The disaster enables the Bundeswehr to support it. Vehicles would also be needed to negotiate impassable roads. The focus of the operations is on rescuing people. At first, the emergency services could hardly take care of flooded basements. “There are so many locations that we have to set priorities.”
In the night of Wednesday, Hagen in particular had been hit hard in NRW. Slopes slipped and flooded lanes were closed. Hundreds of emergency calls were received by the fire department. A retirement home with 76 residents was evacuated on Wednesday due to the inflow of water. In view of the rising water levels, the city administration of Hagen asked the residents of rivers on Wednesday evening to go to higher areas. dpa
