Perilous Times and Climate Change
Floods in Germany spreading, Brandenburg set to be hit
car half-submerged by floodwater
The town of Goerlitz has been one of the worst-affected area
The floods that have wreaked havoc in parts of Poland, the Czech
Republic and the German state of Saxony are spreading west. The
flooding of the Neisse river is expected to reach the state of
Brandenburg later on Monday.
The situation in the regions around the Polish-German border, which
have been affected by rising floodwaters after the river Neisse burst
its banks, remains critical. The Neisse has swollen dramatically after
a dam on the Witka reservoir in Poland burst on Saturday evening.
The flooding from the Neisse river is likely to reach the state of
Brandenburg during the course of Monday, according to the state's
environment authority. The Spree river is expected to burst its banks
on Tuesday.
"The water will rise to levels we haven't seen on the Spree in
decades," Matthias Freude, President of Brandenburg's environment
authority told German state radio on Sunday.
15 dead
Flooding brought on by strong rainfall in central Europe and a burst
dam in Poland on Saturday have caused widespread damage and the deaths
of at least 15 people in Poland, Germany and the Czech Republic.
In the border town of Goerlitz, where almost 1,500 people had to be
evacuated, water levels reached a record of 7.07 meters before falling
back slightly on Sunday evening.
About 1,500 people had to be evacuated in Goerlitz
The town is reportedly still without electricity, and residents are
being advised to boil water before drinking it, according to news
agency AFP.
In the state of Saxony, the situation remains critical, with flood
waters spreading north. In the town of Bad Muskau, the Neisse river has
burst its banks, threatening the historic Fuerst-Pueckler Park, a
Unesco World Heritage site.
Lessons learnt
On Monday, German Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere is expected to
visit the city of Bautzen in Saxony, which has also been affected by
the floods.
The extreme weather conditions has revived memories of the record
flooding in 2002. But Saxony's premier Stanislaw Tillich, who visited
the region on Sunday, said the flooding was restricted to certain areas
and was not comparable to the situation eight years ago, when flooding
of the Elbe river caused widespread devastation and the deaths of 21
people.
Since then, disaster management has been improved in the state of
Saxony, with emergency services staff trained to rescue people by
helicopter from flood waters.
Author: Nicole Goebel (dpa, AFP, Reuters)
Editor: Tony Dunham