Offenbach prepares early in order to be prepared in the event of a new flood wave. The city has now suspended the closure of further dam gates.
Update from 02/02/2021, 1:09 p.m .: In Offenbach are currently stagnating Mainpegel. The city therefore sees no need for more for the time being Tore im maindamm to close, as she announced on Tuesday. On Monday, the Main spilled out of its bed over the edge of the river onto the Mainufer cycle path in Bürgel, but now the level apparently remains at a level below reporting level 1. Only in Würzburg reporting level 1 was exceeded.
On Monday at the lowest topographical point in Rumpenheim by the city service of Offenbach municipal utilities two gates will be closed, today further closings were initially planned in Bürgel. According to the city of Offenbach, the street maintenance department responsible for flood protection has now suspended this, but is keeping an eye on further developments. The gates in Rumpenheim remain due to the Flood initially closed.
Offenbach: The first dam gates in Offenbacher Deich are closed
First report from 02/01/2021, 6:09 p.m .: Offenbach – On Monday yesterday, the ESO Stadtservice of the Stadtwerke started to close the first of the 13 dam gates in Offenbacher Deich. The flow reference level for flood protection in Offenbach is near Würzburg. As the city announces, reporting level 1 (340 centimeters above level 0) has been clearly exceeded there since Sunday evening. “Normally, the responsible road construction department at ESO has around 48 hours lead time when reaching level 1 to close the gates before the water is on the dam,” it says.
At the moment, however, other criteria also have to be taken into account: The tributaries of the Franconian Saale, Sinn, Jossa and Kinzig rise rapidly through rain and thawing snow and discharge their water masses into the Main. In addition, the level could rise because the water level in the Rhine is also very high and therefore the possibility of regulation via the locks is only possible to a limited extent.
Offenbach: Dam gates are closed due to flooding
For these reasons it was decided to start closing the dam gates earlier than planned. “It starts with the lowest gates,” explains Sigrid Aldehoff, spokeswoman for the municipal utilities. For this reason, the ESO employees first sealed the two culverts in Rumpenheim yesterday – on the ferry and on Fischergasse. Today it should continue in Bürgel, where there are also two dam gates, then it is the turn of the gate in front of Isenburg Castle. Depending on how the main level develops in the coming days, a decision is made as to whether further, higher-lying, Deichtore must be closed, says Aldehoff.
If the Main overflows its banks, the Corona test center on the Mainufer car park is also affected. According to the Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians, they are not yet on the highest alert.
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Meanwhile, the question arises of what will happen to the Corona test center on the Mainufer car park if the river should actually overflow its banks. The facility, which consists of several containers, was put into operation in mid-January. After Offenbachers who wanted to be tested for the corona virus had to drive to Frankfurt for months, the Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians (KVH) finally decided on the location directly on the Main. The exhibition halls previously brought into play had been rejected at the time. Dealing with a possible flood was already an issue at the opening.
Offenbach: Currently no risk for the Corona test center
“We have a plan, but no withdrawal is necessary at the moment,” says KVH spokesman Alexander Kowalski on request. Flood warning level 1 has no effect on operations, you only have to take action from level 2. “Then the test center will be dismantled, stored and later rebuilt.” The container can be dismantled within 24 hours. The test capacities that would then be lost could be absorbed by other centers in the area. No problem, says Kowalski. For the Offenbachers, however, this means a lot of driving again in case of doubt.
But KVH is still relatively relaxed when it comes to flooding. “We have that in view, but are not yet on the highest alert.” (By Lena Jochum)
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