Southern Germany braces for more flooding as storms persist
2 June 2024 17:37
Due to the intense rainfall that has been occurring for several days, the flooding situation in southern Germany remains extremely difficult. This includes derailed trains, landslides, and numerous evacuations of residents. There has also been a fatality—a firefighter who died during a rescue operation.
According to the German Meteorological Service (DWD), many areas of Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg are at risk of further storms with heavy rain. This bad weather is expected from Sunday noon to Monday night. "If the rain falls on saturated ground, it will quickly lead to renewed flooding," a DWD meteorologist told the DPA news agency. Streets and basements may once again be flooded.
DWD forecasts that the storms will concentrate in northern Baden-Württemberg and northern Bavaria. There is a risk of extreme rainfall of up to 2.8 inches per square yard within a few hours. Gradually, these storms are expected to spread south, reaching the Alps. Eastern Thuringia, Saxony, and parts of Saxony-Anhalt are also expected to be affected by violent storms.
Floods in Germany. Firefighter dead
During a rescue operation on the Ilm river in Upper Bavaria, a firefighter from Pfaffenhofen lost his life. The rubber dinghy in which four firefighters were traveling capsized overnight from Saturday to Sunday while they were attempting to evacuate people from a flooded house in Pfaffenhofen. The body of the 42-year-old firefighter was recovered on Sunday morning.
Authorities are still searching for a 43-year-old woman who went missing in Schrobenhausen in Bavaria after the basement of her house was flooded. The woman was in the basement during the sudden rise in water levels in the area. Police and divers were dispatched to the scene but were unable to reach the lowest level of the house. On Sunday morning, authorities decided to evacuate the house and its surroundings.
Germany. Train disruptions. There were also derailments
There are still disruptions in train traffic. Due to storm damage, the German railway Deutsche Bahn (DB) has canceled long-distance connections between Stuttgart and Augsburg. According to the list on DB's website, connections from Munich via Nuremberg to Berlin, from Karlsruhe via Stuttgart to Munich, from Munich to Zurich, and from Augsburg to Oberstdorf, among others, have also been canceled.
On Saturday evening, after a landslide, two carriages of an ICE train with 185 passengers on board derailed in the town of Schwäbisch Gmünd in Baden-Württemberg. According to a railway spokesperson, passengers were not injured and were evacuated from the train overnight from Saturday to Sunday.
Germany's difficult situation. Affected areas identified
Heavy rainfall has caused the Ukrainian national team's practice session before a test match leading up to the upcoming European Football Championship to be relocated. Instead of practicing at the Max Morlock Stadium in Nuremberg, the Ukrainian players will train in Erlangen. On Monday, Ukraine is set to play against Germany in Nuremberg.
In some areas, there were several-hour breaks in the rain. Floods are now shifting from Swabia towards Lower Bavaria and Upper Palatinate. Areas such as Neuburg, Kelheim, Regensburg, and Straubing may be affected, but the peak wave is expected only at the beginning of the week.
Areas located in the lower course of the river near Mühlried in the district of Schrobenhausen, especially Manching and Geisenfeld in the district of Pfaffenhofen an der Ilm in Upper Bavaria and Abensberg in the district of Kelheim, are particularly at risk. The water level has also risen in the Isar River basin in Upper Bavaria, and flooding is also occurring in Hesse.
