The flood situation in North Rhine-Westphalia remains critical. The Steinbachtalsperre withstands water masses. Abortion edge in Erftstadt continues to be risky.
- At least 47 people died in the flood disaster in North Rhine-Westphalia, more people are still missing (update from July 19, 3:53 p.m.) .
- The Steinbachtalsperre in Euskirchen (North Rhine-Westphalia) withstood until Monday despite the masses of water.
- At the gravel pit in Erftstadt (North Rhine-Westphalia) there is still mortal danger (update from July 19, 1:34 p.m.).
- All information about the flood disaster in NRW can be found here in the news ticker.
Update from July 19, 9:27 p.m .: In NRW the water levels are falling at all measuring points. The Ministry of the Environment announced on Monday. Only at three Rur gauges (Altenburg, Jülich and Zerkall) is there still a risk of individual properties being flooded. Furthermore, at the Stah / Rur and Bliesheim / Erft gauges, further flooding of agricultural and forestry areas and traffic obstructions cannot be ruled out. And the situation at the dams is also slowly easing according to the announcement. Nevertheless, NRW Environment Minister Ursula Heinen-Esser warns: “But it is definitely too early to give the all-clear. Acute help is still the order of the day, preventing further dangers to life and limb. As a result, the flood disaster has to be analyzed with municipalities and water associations, where readjustments can and must be made in the precautionary measure “.
Flood in North Rhine-Westphalia: Merkel comes on Tuesday
Update from July 19, 7:53 p.m.: Chancellor Angela Merkel comes to NRW on Tuesday to get an idea of the damage. Together with Armin Laschet, she will be in Bad Münstereifel at noon. Merkel wants to get an idea of the situation on site in the Euskirchen district and speak to helpers and those affected.
Update from July 19, 3:53 p.m .: The death toll in NRW has risen to 47, said NRW Interior Minister Herbert Reul at a press conference on the flood disaster. Reul fears that there will be more victims. There are currently at least 19,000 emergency services in the flood zone, including around 16,500 from the fire brigade and around 800 from the Technical Relief Organization (THW). Aachen, Euskirchen and the Rhein-Sieg district are particularly affected by the flood. Reul announced an analysis.
Flood in North Rhine-Westphalia: Gravel pit in Erftstadt (Blessem) – danger to life at the edge of the drop
Update from July 19, 1:34 p.m .: In Erftstadt-Blessem (North Rhine-Westphalia) the situation is still critical, even if the water level continues to drop. There is still mortal danger near the edge of the break off at the gravel pit. “A further slipping of earth is possible at any time,” said Mayor Carolin Wetzel in the “Morgenmagazin” of WDR 2 (see first report below) . The affected areas would be permanently monitored with drones.
Fire brigade forces went to houses in the Blessem district on Sunday evening to save pets, the city of Erftstadt announced on Monday. No other people were found, it is said. However, there are still “people with an unclear whereabouts”. According to the fire brigade, the B265 federal road has been completely cleared. Five vehicles from a retention basin are to be recovered during the day. No people were found in the vehicles there either.
After flooding in North Rhine-Westphalia: scrap collectors go on a thief tour in flood areas
Update from July 19, 1.30 p.m.: Scrap collectors are looking for prey in the disaster area in North Rhine-Westphalia. The police in Altena went out 13 times over the weekend because of thefts by suspicious scrap collectors. Suspects have been moving through flood areas in search of electronic waste and metal parts since Friday, the police said on Monday. The thieves are on the move with vans, but also on foot. On Saturday evening, for example, a man walked through Altena in the Märkisches Kreis and disappeared into a cellar. The basement was no longer lockable due to water damage. A short time later, the 20-year-old reappeared with a bag – full of electrical parts, as it turned out during a police check. The police say they have increased their presence in the area.
Flood in NRW: Missing hotline completely overloaded
Update from July 19, 1:19 p.m .: The hotline for missing persons is currently completely overloaded, writes the Cologne district government on Twitter. The reason for this: “Countless people are currently calling this number to report that they are safe and / or are NOT missing. This leads to an enormous number of calls that the hotline cannot handle. “
However, the missing hotline was set up for those affected by the flood disaster. Concerned relatives could report there if they missed someone, emphasizes the Cologne district government.
Flood: NRW Ministry of the Interior wants to have passed on severe weather warnings
Update from July 19, 1:10 p.m .: According to its own account, the North Rhine-Westphalian Ministry of the Interior forwarded severe weather warnings from the German Weather Service (DWD) to the cities and districts last week. Basically, however, a locality principle applies in disaster control, so that decisions about protective measures on site have to be made, said a ministry spokesman on Monday at the request of the German Press Agency in Düsseldorf.
Update from July 19, 12:32 p.m .: All-clear at the Steinbachtalsperre in Euskirchen. After the Rhein-Sieg district (see first report below) , the district of Euskirchen is gradually releasing the places Schweinheim, Flamersheim and Palmersheim again. After Flamersheim (12 noon), the entry ban for Schweinheim is lifted at 2.30 p.m. Because of the immediate danger, four villages in the cities of Euskirchen and Rheinbach with more than 4,500 inhabitants had been evacuated for days.
Flood disaster in Germany: take a deep breath in NRW – Steinbachtalsperre is safe
Euskirchen – The Rhein-Sieg-Kreis releases places below the Steinbachtalsperre again. According to the Rhein-Sieg district, the level of the Steinbachtalsperre, which has been threatened by floods for days, has “reached an uncritical level”.
Flood in North Rhine-Westphalia: the dam at the Steinbachtalsperre holds
The district announced on Monday that there was no longer any acute danger that the dam could break. “This means that the evacuation measures for Swisttal and Rheinbach can be lifted.” Experts met at 8 a.m. on Monday to make this important decision.
The places Swisstal and Rheinbach below the Steinbach dam near Euskirchen had been evacuated because the dam of the dam threatened to break.
“Water will continue to be pumped out and drained,” said a fire department spokesman for the German Press Agency in Düsseldorf. A final expert assessment on Monday morning should show whether the water level is already beyond the critical mark.
“A dam break is no longer to be feared,” tweeted the Kölm district government on Monday morning (July 19, 2021). “The dam will be fished in the next few days and then completely emptied.” The water level in the dam has been lowered in the last two days using additional pumping power. Experts now assumed a stabilized position of the dam.
Flood disaster in North Rhine-Westphalia – the danger in Euskirchen has not yet been averted
The Euskirchen district is still maintaining the warning for the villages of Kirchheim, Schweinheim, Flamersheim, Ringsheim and Palmersheim.
Mayor of Erftstadt warns – “Further slipping of earth is possible at any time”
In Erfstadt there is an acute danger to life near the edge of the gravel pit. Although the gravel pit behind the Blessem district is largely cordoned off, said Mayor Carolin Wetzel in the morning magazine of WDR 2. “However, further slipping of earth is possible at any time.” The affected districts are permanently monitored with drones. With the help of drones, robots, search dogs and sonar devices, the search for missing people will continue under high pressure.
The flood situation in Rhineland-Palatinate remains tense. The death toll has risen to 112. Violent storms raged in the Berchtesgadener Land and also severely damaged the ice rink at Königssee. (dpa / ml) * Merkur.de is an offer from IPPEN.MEDIA
