‘Once in a century’ floods inundate southern Germany

The city of Regensburg is the latest to join the declaration of a “state of disaster” and rail traffic is disrupted in much of the southern region of the country, due to the fact that flooding has disrupted the movement of trains across the plain. Photos testify to the tremendous work of the security forces. In Miedelsbach (Baden-Württemberg), vehicles weighing tons have been dragged through the streets and placed on top of each other by the force of the water, even dragged inside a Catholic community center, where cranes no longer know how to reach them and remove them.

According to Swabian police spokesman Christian Linkstette, around 20,000 soldiers from various humanitarian organisations and the army are involved in organising the evacuation and maintaining the dams, which are barely holding on to the Danube: “Of course, the main problem we face is due to the constant inflow of water from the Danube’s tributaries, but we also have a serious factor in the fact that the rain does not stop and the dams cannot withstand any more rain.

The situation in the Ostalb district in Baden-Württemberg improved somewhat on Monday morning and the amount of runoff flowing into the Leine river is decreasing, according to a crisis team spokesman, who pointed out that “the situation has ranged from a severe flood to a once-in-a-century flood.” However, heavy rains reported by the German Meteorological Service (DWD) will worsen the situation in the coming hours in the administrative district of Tübingen, where roads and underpasses are already flooded and possible landslides are expected.

“It was already dark when rescuers went door to door to carry out the evacuation. They only gave us five or ten minutes to get what was absolutely necessary and we don’t know when we will be able to return home,” says Helga from Ebersbach an der Fils, southeast of Stuttgart. “A tragedy, this has never happened before, mailboxes are flooded, garbage cans are floating around the garden, children are scared… My basement is completely flooded and all the heating oil has leaked out of the tank.” says another of those affected. City councils recommend packing and waterproofing a small backpack of personal belongings as well as important documents. Due to the flood situation, all municipal schools and daycare centers will be closed on Monday.

by midweek

Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Economy Minister Robert Habeck have both visited the area. Bavarian regional president Markus Söder (CSU) is counting on the floods to keep disaster control officials busy until at least the middle of the week. “The water level is falling slightly, but a relaxation warning cannot be given yet,” he said at the foot of the dam in a radio interview broadcast by Deutschlandfunk. “Even if the rain stops, the water level of the large rivers will continue to rise due to the inflow.” Only when the water recedes will the state and federal governments jointly take over the repair of damage in the affected areas.

In this context, Söder has stressed the need for compulsory insurance for homeowners, noting that these major floods are happening from time to time, but both his visit and his statements are being strongly criticized. The ruling coalition in Bavaria, which Söder leads as head of the Christian Social Union CSU with the Free Voters party, has cut flood protection drastically as part of its austerity measures. Due to the burden on the national budget during the pandemic crisis, the war in Ukraine, inflation and migration problems, “the funds are not available”, justified Josef Feuchtgruber, head of the Regensburg water management authority.

On Monday afternoon, the situation remained critical on the Paar river in the district of Pfaffenhofen, where three dams have already broken and around 800 people were evacuated to safety in Baar-Ebenhausen. In Vohburg, the Danube blocks traffic on highway 9 between Ingolstadt and Langenbruck. More flooding is expected in the districts of Rems-Murr and Ostalb. The German railway company, Deutsche Bahn, advises against traveling to southern Germany, especially the states of Baden-Württemberg and Bavaria, and warns of frequent cancellations of trains on long-distance connections, especially to Munich, a city that currently cannot be reached from Stuttgart, Würzburg or Nuremberg.