Water levels have fallen in Upper Austria, the situation in Bavaria remains tense

The mobile flood protection was dismantled again. In Linz the water level of the Danube was 5.69 metres, in Grein At 9.29 meters, it was 30 centimeters below the annual flood level, the hydrographic service said.

• also read: Cleaning up after the flood: Danube is only slowly receding

In Schärding The Inn had receded so far that the fire brigade said of their operation: “We are finished.” By Wednesday evening, “everything had been cleaned and was clean again,” and people could walk anywhere in Schärding again, said fire brigade commander Markus Furtner. The mobile flood protection was dismantled. “The parts are now being serviced” so that they will be ready for use again during the next flood. After that, they too will be cleared away, it was said.

In Linz On Thursday morning, the mobile system was still being dismantled. However, the originally planned dismantling of “Phase 2 of the mobile flood protection dam” is still being postponed. “The elements will definitely remain until after the weekend,” the city announced at midday, as “heavy rain is expected in the catchment area of ​​the Inn in Tyrol” over the weekend. For safety reasons, the access areas to Donaupark Urfahr will also remain closed.

• Photo gallery: The heavy rain challenged the fire brigades in Upper Austria

New floods cannot be ruled out

Even though the situation in Upper Austria has largely normalized, the all-clear has not yet been given. The hydrographic service reported that local thunderstorms are expected throughout Thursday.

• Also read: Thunderstorms, heavy rain and hail: Storms heading for Upper Austria

Although these are unlikely to “bring flood-relevant quantities” to the Inn and Danube, they will lead to “rapid increases in the small water bodies”, which is why small-scale flooding cannot be ruled out.

• Video: Hydrologist on floods

“Situation in Lower Austria is stable”

Also in Lower Austria The water levels of the Danube continued to fall on Thursday. “The situation is still stable,” reported the spokesman for the state fire brigade command, Klaus Stebal. Work has already begun to dismantle the mobile flood protection that was erected in recent days, for example in Dürnstein (Krems-Land district). Dismantling was also planned in Weißenkirchen in der Wachau. Fire brigades were occasionally called out on Thursday for operations such as pumping out water.

In Ardagger (Amstetten district), where the floodplain area was flooded, the floodwaters receded very slowly, reported Mayor and Association of Municipalities President Johannes Pressl (ÖVP) on his blog. The longer the water stands, the more damaging it is for the fields and meadows, because the plants are increasingly “suffocated” under the water.

“Damage worth millions prevented”

As opposed to Bavaria In Austria, “due to years of investment in flood protection structures, billions of euros worth of damage have been prevented,” emphasized Water Minister Norbert Totschnig (ÖVP) in a press release. Water masses and floods can be “managed much better” through retention basins and water networking such as altar man connections. “The current storms illustrate the positive effects of the flood protection and renaturation projects carried out across Austria,” Totschnig continued. According to the minister, around 124 million euros will be invested in flood protection projects this year.

Massive flooding in Passau

In Germany, the massive floodwaters on the lower Danube are slowly receding. The situation between Kelheim and Passau remains tense – especially in Regensburg. There, the authorities and emergency services were concerned about the soggy ground along a street in the old town. In Passau, the water levels have now receded, albeit at an increasingly slow pace.

• Video: Flood situation in Bavaria remains tense