2024 entered Germany with floods, heavy rain, storms and winds in many areas of central and north-western Germany, with at least five states still in extremely difficult condition after Christmas and New Year. The reason for Lower Saxony, Bremen, Saxony-Anhalt, Thuringia but also parts of North Rhine-Westphalia, areas with many rivers and large amounts of water.

Lower Saxony and Bremen are particularly affected due to the intensity of the ongoing rainfall, with emergency services working non-stop for days to protect citizens and property.

In some areas residents were told to be on constant alert, literally packing their bags in case of a forced evacuation. Fire and civil protection have also built makeshift, mobile barriers in many places and have carried sandbags to erect temporary flood barriers.

Do not repeat in 2021

In particular, in Lower Saxony in the last few days, the almost two million sandbags that the state had for emergency conditions were used up, with the result that an additional 1.5 million sandbags were transported from other neighboring German states.

At the same time, the Meteorological Service reports that the rain and bad weather will last at least until Thursday night, while in areas of Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia schools will remain closed until Friday.

In the meantime, in the last few days, experts have been sounding the alarm, drawing the attention of citizens and especially the government and the competent services to the long-term consequences of climate change, and specifically to severe floods throughout the year.

They even underline the need to expand flood protection projects in Germany and related investments that should not fall victim to wider cuts in government spending. After all, the tragic images from the deadly floods in the Ar valley in the summer of 2021 are still fresh.