Germany. Lower Saxony. Difficult flood situation. Chancellor Olaf Scholz visited the flooded areas

During the Christmas period, heavy rainfall caused flooding in eastern, central and northern Germany. Lower Saxony was hit hardest by the downpours. Flood waters have not receded yet, local authorities said. The most affected areas are along the Aller, Leine and Oker rivers.

On Sunday, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz visited the flooded towns of Lower Saxony. He began his visit with a helicopter flight over the flooded town of Verden and its surroundings, accompanied by the Prime Minister of this state, Stephan Veil.

The Chancellor thanked the emergency services and city representatives and emphasized that residents “showed true solidarity.”

– We have noticed that the situation in the more southern parts of Lower Saxony is improving, but we also see that the situation is still difficult in the northern areas. We know very well that the longer the water exerts pressure on the levees, the greater the risk of them breaking, Scholz said.

The Prime Minister of Lower Saxony stated a few days ago that the tense flood situation is something new in this state. “We have never had a flood on this scale here before. Experts have been warning for a long time that the increasingly frequent extreme weather phenomena are related to climate change,” Weil noted in a statement on Thursday, quoted by the dpa agency.

Forecasters do not have good news for the coming days. Further heavy rainfall is expected in northeastern Germany on Tuesday and Wednesday.

On Thursday this week, water entered the Serengeti Zoological Park in Hodenhagen. Some farmsteads were surrounded by water, and some facilities remained without heating for almost two days.