Some rivers in Brandenburg could be flooded in the coming days. Recently, water levels on the Elbe, Oder and Neisse continued to rise.
The State Office for the Environment (LfU) expects water levels on the Oder to rise dramatically in the coming days. On the Elbe, around five meters had already been measured in Mühlberg in the Elbe-Elster district. At the beginning of the month, the water level here was still around 1.60 meters.
Heavy rainfall causes water levels to rise
After heavy rainfall in Eastern Europe, dramatic conditions are currently prevailing in Poland, the Czech Republic and Austria. A dam has burst in Poland, there are evacuations in the Czech Republic and a reservoir in Austria is close to overflowing. Now the flooding in the Elbe, for example, is threatening to reach Germany. In Dresden, protective measures such as mobile walls for the old town have already been prepared.
Brandenburg is also taking precautions: “We are preparing for a critical situation across the country,” said Prime Minister Dietmar Woidke (SPD) in Guben. Emergency services are being informed and prepared, and weak points on the affected river sections are being secured. The State Office for the Environment issued a first flood warning for the Lusatian Neisse, Oder and Elbe on Thursday.
“If the predicted high rainfall continues, a flood wave is likely to form on the Lusatian Neisse from Sunday to Monday and on the Oder and Elbe from the middle of next week,” said a spokeswoman for the Ministry of the Environment.
Memories of the 2010 flood
The situation is comparable to the floods on the Oder in the summer of 2010 and could lead to correspondingly high water levels, according to a statement from the Ministry of the Environment. At that time, large parts of eastern Central Europe were affected by flooding after days of rain and heavy thunderstorms in May and early June.
However, Environment Minister Axel Vogel (Greens) said he believes that the signs are different from those in 2010. “In contrast to 2010, the situation today is more favourable due to a pronounced low water phase and dry soils.” The rivers could therefore absorb some of the precipitation, explained Vogel.
In addition, effective flood protection measures have been implemented since 2010. “Since 1997, 360 million euros have been invested in flood protection on the Oder.”
Concerns also on the Spree
On the Spree, for example, the city administration in Spremberg expressed concern about flooding. Water levels have recently risen, according to a statement from the city. Further heavy rainfall is forecast from Sunday afternoon, so that the risk of exceeding alert level 1 cannot be ruled out.
The city had already taken precautions on Friday and closed bridge underpasses on the Spree.
© dpa-infocom, dpa:240915-930-233155/1
This is a message directly from the dpa news channel.
