Hundreds of firefighters were deployed because of a severe storm on Sunday in the Zollernalb district. In the afternoon in Balingen, heavy rain burst its banks and streets were flooded, said the commander of the local fire brigade, Florian Rebholz. He reported on 80 deployment sites, three of which were time-critical because people were in distress.
The garden show in Balingen closed its doors at 3 p.m. due to the storm, according to Rebholz. The site did not have to be evacuated because the visitors left voluntarily because of the storm. Nobody got hurt.
The Eyach has burst its banks. It is a tributary of the Neckar. The normal level in Balingen is 30 to 60 centimeters, according to Rebholz, on Sunday it was 2.08 meters. “We have such a heavy rain event every five to ten years.”
Several families in Balingen could no longer leave their homes because the water had washed over the buildings. They had fled to the upper floors, some had stayed there, some had been taken out of the buildings with ladders, according to the fireman.
The fire brigade commander assumes a high level of property damage. Many basements are full. 240 forces and 35 vehicles were deployed. Even in the evening, individual cellars were still being pumped out in Balingen. But most of the water has receded, he reported. In the Stockenhausen district, a cemetery was still a meter deep under water until the evening.
Due to storm damage between Balingen and Albstadt-Laufen, the railway line in the Zollernalb district was temporarily closed on Sunday. There were delays and partial failures, DB Regio said on Twitter. A replacement bus service has been set up from Balingen to Sigmaringen. The Interregio-Express 6 was affected. In the evening, the train announced that the route was freely passable again.
Lightning struck a house in Esslingen. The roof truss had burned, the Reutlingen police reported. The property damage is estimated at 100,000 euros. Nobody got hurt.
The German Weather Service had warned of severe thunderstorms and heavy rain in Baden-Württemberg on Sunday afternoon.
DB Regio BaWü
