While there have only been minor floods in Germany so far, the flood situation has already worsened in several neighboring countries. In Poland, Prime Minister Donald Tusk called the night into Sunday a “dramatic challenge.” A dam there overflowed in the evening. In Austria, dozens of places have been declared disaster areas. The Czech Republic is also affected. In Romania, at least four people have died.
In several places in Poland, more rain has already fallen than during the so-called millennium flood in 1997, said Tusk. In view of the rising water levels of many rivers in southwest Poland, he appealed to citizens to get to safety in time.
In the Kłodzko Snębie Mountains on Poland’s border with the Czech Republic, the situation at a dam was critical. “The dam in Miedzygorze is overflowing. Although water has been released, it has reached its highest level! The water inflow is huge,” wrote the Lower Silesian municipality of Bystryca Klodzka on X. Residents of lower-lying villages were evacuated, according to the water management authority.
Evacuations in the Czech Republic have also been expanded due to the threat of flooding. In Opava on the border with Poland, thousands of people had to be brought to safety, the authorities announced on Saturday evening. Hundreds of people also had to leave their homes in other places in the region.
A reservoir in Lower Austria threatens to overflow
In Austria, the situation is particularly tense in the Waldviertel region in Lower Austria, north of Vienna. There, the Kamp, a tributary of the Danube, has already caused massive flooding. The deputy governor of Lower Austria, Stephan Pernkopf, spoke of the “magnitude of a 100-year flood event”. What he means is that, on average over the long term, such conditions only occur once every 100 years.
Further rainfall was also expected on Sunday night. The Ottenstein am Kamp reservoir is in danger of overflowing. According to Chancellor Karl Nehammer, the situation is becoming more serious. The military is ready to provide support. 42 communities have been declared disaster areas due to the risk of flooding – in the early evening there were still 24.
Flooding is expected on the Danube in Austria, the likes of which only occur once every 30 years on average. The water levels are expected to peak on Monday night.
It continues to rain in parts of Germany
In Germany, there are minor floods following storms with heavy rainfall in southeast Bavaria. According to the German Weather Service, the rainfall on the edge of the Alps is expected to ease by Sunday morning. The police in Rosenheim said late on Saturday evening that they were not aware of any major operations in connection with the weather. In isolated cases, streams had overflowed their banks and streets had been flooded.
The meteorologists said of the outlook: “From Sunday afternoon onwards, there will be renewed, prolonged rainfall in Saxony and parts of Bavaria from the east.” In eastern Saxony, rainfall amounts of between 30 and 50 litres per square metre are expected between Sunday and Monday afternoon.
According to authorities, the rainfall in the Czech Republic and Poland could also lead to flooding there and in Brandenburg. “If the high levels of rainfall predicted continue, a flood wave is likely to form on Sunday to Monday on the Lusatian Neisse and from the middle of next week on the Oder and Elbe,” said a spokeswoman for the Brandenburg Ministry of the Environment.
Bridge debris removed from the Elbe
The Saxon state capital Dresden expects the Elbe to reach a water level of four meters in the morning, meaning that alarm level 1 will apply. The normal water level is around two meters. In the coming week, the highest alarm level 4 could even apply. The authorities have not ruled out that the seven meter mark could be exceeded.
The rubble of the partially collapsed Carola Bridge over the Elbe in Dresden was therefore cleared away under high pressure. On Saturday evening, the first major demolition work on the part of the bridge on the bank of the Neustadt was completed. The city wanted to prevent water from accumulating on the rubble and thus causing additional flooding.
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