- Title: GERMANY: The flood situation in Germany remains critical
- Date: 6th April 2006
- Summary: HELPERS BRINGING SANDBAGS TO FIELD IN WHEELBARROWS
- Embargoed: 21st April 2006 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Germany
- City:
- Country: Germany
- Topics: Disasters / Accidents / Natural catastrophes,Weather
- Reuters ID: LVA9OFUZI7V0E9MPFWCDG8IFKBBF
- Aspect Ratio:
- Story Text: Cities and towns along eastern Germany's Elbe river remained flooded on Thursday (April 6).
Experts believed water levels had reached their highpoint, but the situation remains critical.
While the high water level in most areas has stopped rising, until the water level sinks, the dikes remain at risk. And so far the water level is only sinking very slowly, the environment ministry said.
Soldiers have been brought in to help volunteers, fire fighters, and members of the government's technical support unit (THW) to build walls of sandbags along riverbanks to try and keep the floods away, and lay plastic sheeting along the dikes to strengthen them until the flood waters subside.
Melting snow after an unusually harsh winter and recent heavy rain have contributed to the high water levels have reached almost nine metres on the German-Czech border near Schoena and seven and a half metres in Dresden, further down the Elbe river.
Normal water levels in Dresden are around 2 metres. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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