Land under: Heavy, continuous rain caused multiple floods and landslides in Saarland on Friday. In many municipalities, including the state capital Saarbrücken, houses had to be evacuated due to rising water masses. The population was urged to avoid basements, bodies of water and flooded areas. “Tidal waves can come suddenly, banks can collapse,” said the city of Saarbrücken. “It is important to avoid crossing flooded streets – both on foot and by car.”
According to the Interior Ministry, the situation in the country remained tense early Saturday morning. “We still have two or three places in Saarland where it is very critical,” said a spokesman. Initially nothing was known about any injuries. The German Weather Service (DWD) warned of heavy, continuous rain until Saturday night, especially in the areas west of the Rhine. After that the rain should slowly subside. The State Office for Environmental and Occupational Safety said it was a flood event that occurs every 20 to 50 years.
Old town of Ottweiler under water
In the town of Ottweiler the dams have given way and water has flowed into the old town. “The old town is completely under water. Nothing works there anymore. They have also asked that everything be evacuated generously,” said the spokeswoman for the Neunkirchen district. Mobile dike systems and the sandbags would have given way. The local district office was also evacuated. As a precautionary measure, the electricity in the old town was switched off.
“We have a major damage situation here,” said the district administrator of the Neunkirchen district, Sören Meng, in a video on Facebook. The emergency services are constantly on the move. “The consequences for the district are very great. Almost all cities and communities are affected.”
Amphibious vehicles and boats in use
According to a ministry spokesman, evacuations are still ongoing in Rußhütte, a district of the state capital Saarbrücken. The helpers are traveling there with amphibious vehicles and boats. One street is particularly affected here. The Federal Agency for Technical Relief posted a video of the operation there on the X platform. It also showed a caravan that was submerged in water up to the license plate and a half-submerged car. However, there are signs of relaxation from Sankt Wendel, where the water levels are falling slightly, said the spokesman. There is also “relative calm” in the Saarpfalz district.
The Interior Ministry said on Friday evening that 50,000 sandbags from the state reserve had been released. It is being examined whether help should be requested from surrounding federal states. Later in the evening, the ministry spokesman said: “It’s still far from the case that we can think about cleaning up.” The city of Völklingen announced that millions of euros in damage were expected, particularly in the private sector.
Evacuations everywhere – some by boat
In some cases, old people’s homes were also affected, such as one in Marpingen, according to the Interior Ministry. In Saarbrücken-Rußhütte the situation was “precarious” because the current speed was so high that the fire brigade had to call off and flow rescuers from the German Red Cross were called in.
The state capital Saarbrücken, as well as several districts, declared a major disaster. Several buildings in the city had to be evacuated. The city set up alternative accommodation in schools and a citizens’ telephone. “We have evacuations everywhere,” said a spokesman for the situation center in Saarbrücken. “It’s raining everywhere, nationwide.”
The Neunkirchen district announced in the evening that all towns and communities in the district were “largely affected by the heavy rain events”. In Wemmetsweiler, people had to be rescued from their homes by boat. The fire department in Blieskastel (Saarpfalz district) also reported flooded cellars and streets as well as landslides. “The soils no longer absorb rain,” said the spokesman.
Train traffic restricted
According to the railway company Vlexx, train traffic in Saarland was severely restricted, and this also applied to bus traffic. Some of the tracks were washed out and trees that had fallen into overhead lines were also the cause.
The DWD measured more than 100 liters of rain per square meter in less than 24 hours in some places. A DWD meteorologist said in the evening that rivers and infrastructure were not prepared for this heavy rain. For comparison: In the entire month of April, around 74 liters of rain per square meter were measured in Saarland – and this was a sixth more precipitation than normal in that month. According to the DWD, 107 liters per square meter fell in Saarbrücken-Ensheim and Berus in the Saarlouis district by 7 p.m. In Saarland, 60 to 100 liters per square meter were commonly measured. As a result, the river levels rose quickly.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) canceled an election campaign appearance in Saarland planned for Saturday. Instead, he will get an idea of the situation on site together with Prime Minister Anke Rehlinger (SPD), a government spokesman said in Saarbrücken in the evening.
Flooding also in Rhineland-Palatinate
In neighboring Rhineland-Palatinate, the Trier-Saarburg district as well as the southern Palatinate and the cities of Trier, Zweibrücken and Ludwigshafen were particularly affected by the continuous rain on Friday. Cellars and streets were full and trees fell over, as the coordination office of the Supervisory and Services Authority (ADD) reported. No one was initially injured. Many smaller streams and rivers overflowed their banks.
In Schoden an der Saar in the Trier-Saarburg district, around 220 people were asked to leave their homes as a precaution due to the risk of flooding, the district administration announced. The water level in the Saar had previously risen so much due to the persistent rain that there were fears that the embankment would be overflowed. Helpers wanted to try to stabilize the embankment with sandbags. “In almost all places along the Saar, streets and buildings are flooded, and in many communities, smaller bodies of water are overflowing their banks,” the district authority announced.
In Trassem in the same district, where evacuation was also taking place, several residents had barricaded themselves in their houses, it was said. The police are there. “It is strongly advised not to resist any evacuation requests from the emergency services, this can have life-threatening consequences and the levels continue to rise,” the district said.
