Elbe with a risk of flood: alarm level 3 in Dresden activated!

Elbe with a risk of flood: alarm level 3 in Dresden activated!

Schöna, Deutschland - On February 17, 2025, the situation along the Elbe is tense. Flood warnings are currently active in Saxony. The Elbe, one of the largest rivers in Europe, rises in the Czech Republic and flows through numerous cities, including Dresden, Dessau and Magdeburg, to the mouth of the North Sea near Brunsbüttel. The water level in Dresden has already reached alarming values and crossed the 6 meters mark on Wednesday, which triggered alarm level 3. In Schöna, the flood section is expected in the second half of the night on Thursday.

Current levels show the following critical values:

alarm levels and preparations

Currently, alarm level 3 is maintained on Saxon Elbe levels, whereby there can be flooding of built -up areas and roads. In the municipalities along the Oder, crisis rods are set up to coordinate flood protection measures. Pilent walls were built for the affected areas in Frankfurt (Oder), and a hotline for those affected is ready to be able to provide help quickly.

The volunteer dike runners are also called to recognize damage to dams at an early stage. In the meantime, aid organizations such as the German Red Cross have already led aid deliveries to the flood areas in Poland.

climate change and flood risks

The serious flood events are not only limited locally, but also have far -reaching causes. According to a study by the EU-funded research group Climameter, the increased flood events are a direct consequence of climate change and the associated global warming. Extreme weather conditions, such as the current heavy rain cases, cannot be explained solely by natural climate changes; Rather, they are the result of more stable weather conditions caused by climate change.

The forecasts show that extremely heavy rain in Central Europe is expected in the coming days, which could be up to 350 liters per square meter. Such events could become even more common in the future. Experts warn that the number of people who could be affected by floods could increase to around 400,000 in Germany if no corresponding measures for flood provision are taken.

According to a report, there is an urgent investment in climate adaptation concepts, since 77% of the municipalities surveyed already feel the effects of climate change, but only 12% could develop an adapted concept. Measures such as the aspiration and the creation of compensation areas are necessary to better counter future flood events.