On Christmas Day, residents in parts of Germany were forced to evacuate their homes due to heavy rains and saturated ground, resulting in widespread flooding and high water levels. Particularly affected were areas in the regions of Thuringia and Lower Saxony.
ADVERTISEMENTFootage from the village of Windehausen in Thuringia depicted homes, fields, and streets submerged in floodwaters, with displaced individuals seeking refuge at an emergency shelter. Bodo Ramelow, the governor of Thuringia, cautioned from the shelter on Monday that it might take several days before people could safely return home.
He stated, "They will only be able to return when the cellars have been pumped out, when the electricity is back on, and when the connection to the sewage system has been restored."
In the western German city of Oberhausen, firefighters and officials from the Federal Agency for Technical Relief worked to fortify a dike on the river Ruhr with sandbags to prevent flooding caused by the elevated water levels.
On Tuesday, firefighters and volunteers continued efforts to reinforce dikes against rising floodwaters in northern and eastern Germany. In eastern Belgium, heavy rains had swollen rivers, prompting warnings for the Our River, which marks the border with Germany, and its tributaries. Additionally, several flood plains in the eastern Netherlands were submerged on Tuesday.
In Czechia, certain regions continued to grapple with flooding, with some areas on high alert and an anticipation of rising water levels throughout the country. Local authorities attributed the phenomenon to rainfall and melting ice. In Prague, ferry services were disrupted, and access to embankments was restricted due to the prevailing conditions.