Germany Chancellor Olaf Scholz arrived in the town of Verden, some 90 kilometers (55.9 miles) northwest of Hanover, as part of a visit to areas in Germany devastated by floods.
“The weather and nature are challenging us,” Scholz said on New Year’s Eve in Verden. “That is why it is important that we stick together in the country.”
He said different state institutions were working together to battle the floods, listing the police, the fire department, the armed forces and even volunteers.
Scholz took part in a flyover on the affected areas in northern Lower Saxony, followed by a briefing on the situation in Verden on the Aller River.
Tense flood situation in northern Germany Floods have devastated several parts of northern Germany throughout the past few days.
Thousands of emergency forces have been engaged in facing the aftermath of the heavy rainfall, which has particularly affected the states of Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt and North Rhine-Westphalia.
A slight drop in water levels has been reported around the Aller River, which flows in Lower Saxony and Saxony-Anhalt. However, authorities fear dykes, heavily softened by the floods, could burst in several places.
Floods threaten northern Germany: DW’s Kieran Burke reportsTo view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video
Officials urge against ‘disaster tourism’ Officials have urged residents not to engage in disaster tourism, stressing that the practice was hindering the work of emergency workers.
“Growing ‘flood tourism’ and traffic are preventing emergency services from getting through in many places,” the city of Celle, near Hanover, said. Officials called on residents to respect closures and only travel to the city if absolutely necessary.
Floods over the past few days have devestated some parts of northern GermanyImage: Alexander Koerner/Getty Images rmt/sms (AFP, dpa)
While you’re here: Every Tuesday, DW editors round up what is happening in German politics and society. You can sign up here for the weekly email newsletter Berlin Briefing.
Comments