Floods in the East: Brandenburg prepared for flood wave

Brandenburg expects Oder floods next week

Friday, September 20, 6:39 p.m.: The flooding of the Oder is coming closer – Brandenburg is preparing for a more serious situation next week. Brandenburg’s Prime Minister Dietmar Woidke (SPD) will get an idea of ​​the preparations on Saturday – one day before the state election: He will inform himself about the current flood situation in Frankfurt (Oder), watch the distribution of sandbags and speak to representatives from the neighboring Polish town of Slubice.

According to the current forecast, the second highest alarm level is expected at the Frankfurt (Oder) gauge on Monday and alarm level 3 on Tuesday, according to the State Chancellery. The guideline for this is a water level of 6 meters. The normal level for Frankfurt (Oder) is around 2.10 meters.

At alarm level 3, properties, streets or cellars can be flooded. Dike patrollers are also deployed to check the protective structures. So far, the lowest alarm level 1 has been declared for Frankfurt (Oder), Eisenhüttenstadt and Ratzdorf. This means that the situation is not yet dramatic and is not expected to worsen on election Sunday (September 22nd). The State Office for the Environment expects further flooding of low-lying floodplain areas and grassland near the banks between the dikes over the weekend.

Traffic restrictions and closures in Frankfurt

However, there are already restrictions in place due to the risk of flooding: The Kleist Museum in Frankfurt (Oder) has been closed. In addition, the Holzmarkt market there was closed to private motor vehicles in the afternoon. The closure is to ensure unrestricted access for emergency services in connection with the risk of flooding, the city administration announced.

Eisenhüttenstadt closed a football stadium in the eastern district of Fürstenberg today, and streets are also closed. Residents who live near the river bank are piling up sandbags. Protective walls have been installed.

“We cannot rule out flooding,” said Franziska Lampe, head of the Citizen Services Department in Eisenhüttenstadt. In some parts of the eastern part of the city, there are residential buildings close to the water. The city assumes that gardens could be under water. Eisenhüttenstadt is expecting alarm level 3 at the beginning of the week, it was announced.

District warns against flood tourists

Flood tourists are causing discontent in Oder regions that are preparing for a serious flood situation. The Märkisch-Oderland district appeals: “In order not to hinder the dyke defense, we ask that you refrain from any form of flood tourism and not block the access roads to the dykes.”

In other flood situations, emergency services have repeatedly complained that tourists are walking where others are fighting the flood. In Bavaria, police officers had to issue orders to evict flood tourists.

The Märkisch-Oderland district administration will also set up a citizens’ telephone line from Monday. In addition, further road closures are planned in Oder towns. However, schools and daycare centers will remain open, a spokeswoman said.

Highest flood alert on the Oder from Tuesday at the Ratzdorf gauge

According to the forecast of the State Environmental Agency, at the Ratzdorf gauge, about 40 kilometers south of Frankfurt (Oder), alarm level 3 is expected to be reached late Monday evening and the highest level on Tuesday.

The water level is then expected to rise to over 6 metres; it is currently below five metres. In 1997, the town of Ratzdorf, where the Oder and Neisse rivers meet, experienced a flood disaster with severe damage. Flood protection has since been improved.

The situation on the Elbe in northwest Brandenburg is likely to remain much calmer. According to current forecasts, the Elbe flood in the Prignitz district remains just below the first alarm level. Nevertheless, preparations are being made there. Caravan sites and equipment at the construction site for the new Elbe crossing on Autobahn 14 have been cleared. The port area in Wittenberge will probably be under water from the weekend, the district said.

Poland: Flood wave reaches Wroclaw

8.40 am: In Poland, the flood wave reached the Lower Silesian city of Wroclaw during the night. The water level at the Trestno measuring station outside the city gates is 6.31 meters, said the head of the Meteorological Institute at a meeting of the crisis team on site. “We are already seeing a stabilization here.” A water level of 6.30 to 6.40 meters will, however, last longer. A water level of just over three meters is normal. The current flood wave is significantly lower than during the Oder flood in 1997, when the water level reached 7.24 meters.

However, Prime Minister Donald Tusk warned at a crisis team meeting against underestimating the situation. “It is too early to declare victory over the floods near Wroclaw.” The situation must continue to be monitored.

Battle for a dyke in the suburbs of Wroclaw

According to experts, it is also important to keep an eye on the smaller Oder tributaries in the Wroclaw area. During the night, citizens in the suburb of Marszowice helped the emergency services to cover two seepage points in the dyke on the Bystrzyca with sandbags, as the city administration wrote on X.

Elbe flood divide expected in Saxony in the afternoon

Thursday, September 19, 08:05: According to forecasts, the Elbe’s flood divide in Saxony will be reached in the afternoon. At the Schöna gauge on the border with the Czech Republic, a peak of 6.71 meters is expected, according to current data from the State Flood Center. On Thursday morning, 6.58 meters were measured (as of 7.45 a.m.) – the normal level there is 1.58 meters. In Dresden, the very long peak is also expected to be reached in the afternoon. 6.12 meters are expected there, with a normal level of 1.42 meters.

Read more about the current weather conditions on the next page