A heavy storm surge caused extensive damage to Germany’s Baltic Sea coast on Friday, especially in Schleswig-Holstein. In Flensburg the water level rose around midnight to more than 2.2 meters above normal. Parts of the port area were flooded.
A disaster alarm went off in the Rendsburg-Eckernförde region in Schleswig-Holstein on Friday evening. In the old town of Eckernförde there were voluntary evacuations from parts of the old town. Emergency workers also brought residents to safety in other cities. Saturday morning, water levels dropped significantly everywhere as the storm subsided.
Beach walls and dikes damaged
In Ostholstein, several beach walls were breached and dikes were damaged by the floods. A dike broke near Maasholm on the Schlei. In Schleswig the harbor was flooded and the electricity was cut off. Authorities said a major problem for disaster response systems was constant exposure to water.
Large contingent of emergency services
The fire brigade, rescue services, police and the Technical Assistance Service (THW) were deployed with a large number of troops. Sandbags were piled on threatened dikes. On Friday afternoon, a woman was killed in her car by a falling tree on the Baltic Sea island of Fehmarn.
The water level drops again
When the eastern storm subsided in the second half of the night and in the morning, the water level on the Baltic Sea coast dropped significantly. According to data from the Waterways and Shipping Administration, the level in Flensburg was still 1.42 meters above normal at 7.20 am on Saturday, and in Eckernförde it was still 1.41 meters above normal.
There was no damage assessment available on Saturday morning. Only once the water has drained can experts assess the extent of damage to dikes and other flood protection systems, beaches, port facilities, bank reinforcements and buildings.
Source: Krone
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