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WEATHER

Storms and heavy rain bring trains to halt at Frankfurt central station

Rail transport in and out of Frankfurt was brought to a stop for half an hour on Tuesday, after storms made travel out of the central station too risky.

Storms and heavy rain bring trains to halt at Frankfurt central station
Storm clouds over Frankfurt on Tuesday. Photo: DPA

Torrential rain and gale force winds forced Deutsche Bahn to delay all travel out of the central station for a half hour period on Tuesday afternoon, starting at 2.45pm.

Flights out of Frankfurt Airport, the busiest air hub in Germany, were also delayed, and in some cases cancelled altogether.

Planes arriving at the airport were given the chance to land, but they were not brought into the gates by the land crew, so as not to endanger their lives.

Frankfurt fire services reported that they were called out roughly 180 times. Volunteer crews were also called into action to assist their professional colleagues. The main causes for call outs were trees that had been blown over by the wind and flooded buildings. No injuries were reported.

The German Weather Service (DWD) announced a severe weather warning for the Rhine-Main area for the day. It said that winds of up to 98 km/h had been recorded at Frankfurt Airport, and warned that storms would continue into the night.

After days of warm weather, the whole of Germany is to face more unsettled conditions, as a cold front moves in from the east coast of Scotland. By Friday the DWD expects rain throughout much of the country.

FLOODS

German communities brace for flooding as water levels continue to rise

Water levels on the Elbe and Oder rivers in Germany are rising, sparking preparations for floods as the clean-up across central Europe gets underway.

German communities brace for flooding as water levels continue to rise

As several countries in Europe face the devastating aftermath of severe flooding following torrential rain, communities in some regions of Germany are trying to manage rising water levels. 

According to a forecast by the state flood centre, the water on the Elbe river has not yet reached expected peaks. In the city of Dresden, the Elbe rose above the six-metre mark on Wednesday. There, as well as in Schöna on the border with the Czech Republic, the flood peak is expected on Thursday.

There is a cautious all-clear along other rivers in the east and south of Germany. Further north, however, Brandenburg is looking anxiously at the Oder river, which is expected to bring more water in the coming days.

READ ALSO: Parts of Germany hit by flooding as torrential rain wreaks havoc across central Europe

Flood crisis teams are due to meet in Frankfurt (Oder), located at the border with Poland, and other municipalities in Brandenburg on Thursday. A level 1 flood alert was issued for sections of the river on Wednesday.

According to the State Office for the Environment, floodplains and meadows close to the banks are expected to start flooding, with the areas of the Oder village of Ratzdorf to Eisenhüttenstadt particularly affected.

The state office believes the highest alert level – level 4 – with a water level of around six metres will be reached in the next few days near Ratzdorf, where the Oder reaches Brandenburg territory.

Clean-up work underway in central and eastern Europe

In the flood-hit areas from Poland to the Czech Republic and Austria, the clean-up work has now begun, but the situation is only slowly easing.

In many places, the emergency services are still struggling with masses of water. Soldiers are also providing support in Poland and the Czech Republic. However, the authorities are not yet giving the all-clear. So far, more than 20 people have tragically lost their lives in the region due to the extreme weather.

In the Polish city of Wroclaw in the west of the country, the flood wave was not expected until Thursday night. As several tributaries that also carry a lot of water flow into the Oder between Olawa and Wroclaw, the possibility of flooding in the Lower Silesian metropolis cannot be ruled out, said an expert.

Flooding in Bresgau Poland

A drone captures the high water levels in Bresgau, Poland, on September 19th. Photo: picture alliance/dpa/PAP | Maciej Kulczynski

Flood defences in Wroclaw have been reinforced as a precautionary measure. One third of the city of 630,000 inhabitants was flooded during the Oder flood in 1997.

EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is expected to visit Poland on Thursday afternoon. According to the EU Commission, the trip is being organised at the invitation of Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk.

Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala, his Slovakian counterpart Robert Fico and Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer are also expected to attend the meeting.

The talks are likely to focus on the question of funds from Brussels for reconstruction although the extent of the damage is still unclear.

With reporting from DPA

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