For days, the towns along the German-Polish border river Oder have been preparing for the flood situation to worsen. So far, the lowest level of alert has been in place along several sections of the river near Frankfurt (Oder), Eisenhüttenstadt and Ratzdorf. But there is great concern about the Oder flood. The situation is expected to worsen towards the middle of the week as water levels rise.
Fire departments, technical relief organizations and other organizations are ready for emergencies. The Oder residents want to prevent flooding and major flood damage with the precautions that have been underway for days. Meanwhile, the water levels on the Elbe are slowly falling.
City spokesman: People are worried
In Frankfurt (Oder), a mobile flood protection wall was fully assembled on Thursday evening. The city has set up a hotline for residents, which it says is being used well. “Many people are very worried,” said a spokesman. Frankfurt is also offering support to the neighboring Polish town of Slubice. The situation could become more explosive for the city, which is located much lower than Frankfurt.
Brandenburg’s Prime Minister Dietmar Woidke (SPD) called for people to prepare for an emergency. “In some areas of the Oder, the highest warning level 4 may be reached in the next few days. That’s why we’re staying vigilant,” he said. It is still unclear when exactly extreme flooding is to be expected.
Alert level 4 is about disaster prevention. Larger areas can be flooded – even in built-up areas.
Frankfurt expects serious situation in the first half of the week
At the Frankfurt (Oder) gauge, water levels rose continuously, so that alarm level 1 was declared on Thursday afternoon, as the State Office for the Environment announced. The lowest alarm level has been in effect for the Ratzdorf and Eisenhüttenstadt gauges since Wednesday.
The Oder city of Frankfurt did not expect the situation to escalate at the weekend. However, alarm level 3 is expected in the first half of the week, said a spokesman. The benchmark for this is a water level of 6 meters. It is still unclear whether the water levels will remain at a high level for several days, said the spokesman. Dikes, protective walls and sandbags are intended to hold back large amounts of water.
Alarm level 3 possible on Monday evening at the Ratzdorf gauge
According to the current forecast by the State Environmental Agency, the Ratzdorf gauge, about 40 kilometers south of Frankfurt (Oder), is expected to reach alarm level 3 on Monday evening. In 1997, the town of Ratzdorf, where the Oder and Neisse rivers flow together, experienced a flood disaster with severe damage. Since then, flood protection has been improved.
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