Situation worsens

Land under water! Germany is drowning in mud

Continuous rain has caused rising water levels in rivers and numerous fire department interventions, especially in western and south-western Germany.

(Bild: APA/dpa/Harald Tittel)

After hours of heavy rain, there is currently an "extreme flood risk" in the German Saarland, according to the flood reporting center. This is a flood event that occurs every 20 to 50 years. The situation is expected to worsen by midday on Saturday.

In view of the heavy rainfall, the city of Saarbrücken declared a major damage situation in the afternoon. The city announced that flooding was occurring in some areas. Several buildings in the city area had to be evacuated.

The people affected were called upon to take only the essentials with them. Citizens should avoid being outdoors at all costs and avoid flooded or endangered sections of traffic routes.

Continuous rain has caused rising water levels in rivers and numerous fire department operations, especially in the west and southwest of Germany.

(Bild: APA/dpa/Harald Tittel)

On the French side of the border, cellars also filled up and roads were closed. The German Weather Service has announced heavy, continuous rain until Saturday night, especially in the areas west of the Rhine.

(Bild: APA/dpa/Harald Tittel)

"It just won't stop raining"
There were over 300 police call-outs and more than 500 call-outs for the fire department. Now they were no longer counting. There were overflowing cellars, fallen trees and flooded roads. No one was injured or missing. "It just won't stop raining," said a spokesperson for the state police headquarters in Saarbrücken. 

Flooding is to be expected
The police pointed out that aquaplaning or flooding is to be expected on all roads. Numerous roads in Saarland were closed due to the weather. There were also severe restrictions on train and bus services.

Sewer system partially overloaded 

In Baden-Württemberg, too, there was continuous rain and heavy thunderstorms in places. The local flood forecasting center warned of significantly rising water levels in some rivers, especially the Upper Rhine tributaries and waters in the Neckar catchment area. Smaller floods could develop. In individual cases, the sewage system could also be overloaded. Roads, cellars, underpasses and underground car parks could be flooded.

In Rhineland-Palatinate, the flood forecasting center reported sharply rising water levels on Friday, especially in the southern part of the state. At some water gauges, water levels were possible that statistically occur every 100 years.

Cars were swept away by the water
In the French border region with Germany, small rivers in particular burst their banks within a short space of time after heavy rainfall. Some cars were swept away by the water. Some roads were closed, including a section of the highway 320 in the direction of Saarbrücken. So far, however, no people have been injured by the masses of water in Lorraine and Alsace on Thursday evening and Friday.

France also affected
As the fire department in Metz announced on Friday, there were more than 300 interventions in around 70 municipalities in the Moselle region. 270 firefighters were deployed with around 200 vehicles. The region around Saint-Avold and Sarreguemines, which borders the Saarland, was particularly affected.

France's Minister of the Interior, Gérald Darmanin, called on residents to exercise great caution and issued a red alert for the region. There were also severe storms in northern Italy (see link to article above).