It is still too early for clean-up work

Saarbrücken. The consequences of the severe flooding are still worrying people and rescue workers in Saarland and Rhineland-Palatinate. The probably very extensive damage only becomes visible slowly. “The flood situation is still serious, but the situation is clearly improving in many areas,” the Saarland Ministry of the Interior said. For the most part, the water recedes slowly. The situation was initially unchanged on Sunday morning.

“It is simply too early for both cleaning work and damage estimates,” said a spokeswoman for the Trier-Saarburg district. Drones have now been requested to get an overview of the extent of the damage from above.

The administration of the capital of the state of Saarland, Saarbrücken, as a lower authority for disaster management, has now lifted the situation of major damage caused by the severe flooding. The emergency rescue and safety measures have been completed and water levels continue to drop, the city’s press service announced on Saturday evening.

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Various floods and landslides

Huge amounts of rain in the Saarland caused flooding, landslides and probably major damage on Friday and Saturday nights. In Saarbrücken the city highway was flooded and had to be closed. A coal-fired power plant in Saarland also flooded, various media reported. Authorities also feared that the historic old town of Blieskastel would be flooded. The emergency services tried to prevent this.

Several people had to be evacuated from buildings and neighborhoods across the country. In Rußhütte, a district of Saarbrücken, they were taken to safety with amphibious vehicles and boats.

Several districts had also declared a major disaster. The city of Saarbrücken has set up alternative housing in schools and a citizen telephone. “We have evacuations everywhere,” a situation center spokesperson said.

Scholz assures federal solidarity

Chancellor Olaf Scholz assured Saarland of federal solidarity on Saturday during a post-flood visit. The SPD politician said in Kleinblittersdorf that the focus was now on acute assistance. Once the immediate emergency and danger situation has abated, it will be a matter of agreeing together what needs to be done to help those in need. “Unfortunately, this is not the first time that we have had to deal with a major natural disaster and so we will of course look at what needs to be done here and what is necessary,” Scholz emphasizes. “Everyone can trust that this will be done in the best possible way.”

Scholz, wearing rubber boots, walked along a flooded street and spoke to those affected. Saarland Prime Minister Anke Rehlinger (SPD) said after the tour: “No one should be left out in the cold in this difficult situation.” The state government had already taken the first steps for financial assistance after the floods. Rehlinger spoke about the most difficult situation since the great flood in the Saarland more than thirty years ago, the ‘flood of the century’.

The state government had already reached out to the citizens on Saturday evening and taken the first steps for financial assistance. “Many Saarlanders are concerned about their four walls and their belongings or have already suffered serious damage,” says Rehlinger. “To ensure that no time is lost, the state government has taken short-term decisions to ensure that assistance is available to repair the damage suffered.”

Rhineland-Palatinate also struggles with bodies of water

There were also floods in neighboring Rhineland-Palatinate. Cellars and streets were full, and many smaller streams and rivers burst their banks. The good news: so far there have been hardly any injuries or deaths. “Although floods have caused serious damage in many regions, according to current knowledge no people have been injured. That is the most important thing,” said Prime Minister Malu Dreyer (SPD) of Rhineland-Palatinate. Their thanks go to the emergency services and operational management for their ‘tireless and sometimes dangerous efforts’.

Train traffic in the region came to a temporary standstill, but was able to resume running on Saturday. Most closed roads were passable again. “I would especially like to thank the employees of Deutsche Bahn and Autobahn GmbH for their efforts,” said Federal Transport Minister Volker Wissing (FDP).

There was particular criticism from climate activist Luisa Neubauer, who used the flooding situation as a powerful reminder of climate protection. Of course, as Chancellor you can weaken the climate protection law one day and drive to the flood areas with “very concern” the next, Neubauer wrote in a long post on X (formerly Twitter) – and called for consequences.

Despite the enormous amounts of water – the weather service measured more than 100 liters of rain per square meter in some places in less than 24 hours – it turned out relatively well in terms of possible casualties. “There are currently reports of an injured person,” the Saarland Interior Ministry said on Saturday morning. She had had an accident during a rescue operation and had to be resuscitated. “The person is being treated as an inpatient and there are no reports on his or her health at this time.”

Faeser promises help

Federal Minister of the Interior Nancy Faeser (SPD) also promised help. “The federal government is supporting Saarland in particular with strong troops to protect human lives after the severe flooding and to minimize the destruction caused by the water masses,” she said.

RND/dpa