Floods in D

Situation remains tense, storm warning lifted

(Bild: APA/dpa/Harald Tittel)

Heavy continuous rain caused flooding and landslides in the south-west of Germany in the federal state of Saarland on Friday. In many communities, including the state capital of Saarbrücken, houses had to be evacuated due to rising water. The situation is still extremely tense on Saturday, although the storm warning has now been lifted. Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz visited the site to get an idea of the situation.

According to information so far, no lives have been lost in the severe weather on Friday, which lasted for hours and caused widespread flooding into the night. One person was injured during an evacuation operation, said a police spokesperson. One person fell into the water and was subsequently taken to hospital. His condition is currently unknown, according to the Saarland Ministry of the Interior. 

Thousands of firefighting missions
Videos showed cars half submerged in water, caravans stuck in the floodwater and numerous flooded streets. Buildings were provisionally protected with sandbags and in some cases entire streets were under water. The situation center in Saarbrücken has so far registered more than 3000 police and rescue operations in the state. The police in Saarland alone recorded around 1000 operations by early Saturday morning (7.00 am). According to the Saarland Ministry of the Interior, more than 2400 fire departments and other aid organizations have also been called out.

The situation eased somewhat early Saturday morning: at least the water levels had not risen since 1.00 a.m., said a spokesman for the situation center. However, the emergency services were still on a major mission. After a restless night, the clean-up began in the affected regions. The exact extent of the damage is only likely to become apparent over the next few days.

(Bild: APA/dpa/Harald Tittel)

Flooding in Rhineland-Palatinate too
The rain also caused numerous operations in Rhineland-Palatinate. The district of Trier-Saarburg, the southern Palatinate and the cities of Trier, Zweibrücken and Ludwigshafen were particularly affected by the continuous rain. According to the district administration, there was widespread flooding on the Saar and Ruwer rivers in the district of Trier-Saarburg.

According to the Saarland State Office for Environmental Protection and Occupational Safety, this was a flood event that occurs every 20 to 50 years. Due to the storm, Deutsche Bahn also reported massive disruptions and cancellations to train and rail replacement services in Rhineland-Palatinate and Saarland. Unnecessary journeys to the Saarland should be avoided, the railroad announced.

Red warning level also in France
A red warning level was also issued in the neighboring French region of Moselle in Lorraine. On Saturday, the Metéo France weather service reported "exceptional flooding" of the Saar tributary Nied and "severe flooding" on several rivers in the north-east of the region on the border with Germany. In the Bas-Rhin department around Strasbourg, the warning level is orange, the second-highest level. "The equivalent of more than a month's rain has fallen in less than 24 hours", the prefecture explained on Friday evening, speaking of an "impressive but not dramatic" situation.