with videoOn a soaking wet Sunday before Christmas, the water level continues to rise. In several places in the east of the country, rivers are overflowing their banks. Municipalities and water boards are preparing for flooding. The crisis staff meets in Limburg and additional inspections are carried out.
Domestic editorial 24 Dec. 2023 Last update: 17:29
A lot of rain is also expected in the Netherlands during the Christmas holidays. In Limburg, groundwater levels are now high and the streams are overflowing. The Limburg Water Board has decided to scale up to coordination phase 1. This means that the water board is closely monitoring the water level in the Limburg streams. The crisis staff met on Sunday afternoon. “We continue to monitor water levels, water discharges and expected precipitation,” the water board said on its website. “We also carry out additional inspections.”
The water level in the Roer, a tributary of the Meuse, is dropping, but it is expected to rise sharply again later. At Vlodrop, emergency barriers and sandbags have already been placed against the rising water. The water board expects this to be sufficient. The water drainage in the Geul and the Maas is also under pressure.
The Hollands Noorderkwartier Water Board will also conduct additional inspection rounds from Monday due to the expected high water level in the IJsselmeer. The outside doors of the Sassluis in Enkhuizen were already locked extra on Sunday morning. In addition, an emergency pump will be installed in the city center of the North Holland city to drain extra water.
The IJsselwater is so high at Deventer that Rederij Eureka can barely pass under the Wilhelmina Bridge with its boat. © Ronald Hissink
Because a lot of rain falls in the neighboring countries Belgium and Germany and a lot of snow melts in Switzerland, the water in the Dutch rivers is rising. The east of the Netherlands takes flooding into account due to rising water levels in Germany and near Lobith.
The water at Lobith can rise after Christmas to almost 15 meters above Normal Amsterdam Level (NAP). In Deventer the water of the IJssel then rises to more than 6 meters above NAP. This means that the Wellekade will flood. The The municipality of Deventer is taking precautions.
Sandbags
The flooding is now expected on December 28 at the earliest, a municipal spokesperson said on Sunday. For example, there are pallets with sandbags ready. “We have placed fences on the city side along the quay to ensure that no people walk over the wall. Should the levels rise further, we have made the necessary preparations and contractors are ready.”
The Dinkel overflows its banks and flows over a road in the countryside between Losser and De Lutte. © ANP
In Twente is the river De Dinkel overflowed its banks even further on Sunday. The water board has engaged contracting companies to keep flooding within limits. With temporary dikes, sandbags and pumps, homes and farms, which are now surrounded by water, are kept as dry as possible.
The high water in the Rhine also causes this nuisance in Gelderland. Ferries do not operate, because otherwise cars and cyclists would have to drive through the water to get on board. “I don’t expect it to be as high as the Dutch authorities now think,” says ferry boss Goos Mason. “They assume 14.90 meters at Lobith. I think it will be less high. I don’t think Lobith will get much higher than 14.30 meters, but that is too high for us. You don’t do anything about it, it’s no different.”
Ferries will remain chained in the coming days, such as the Opheusdenseveer near Wageningen. © DG/Eric Wijnacker
Mermaids
A large part of Germany also has to contend with high water in the rivers, partly as a result of the persistent rain showers and the melting snow in Switzerland. In the town of Rodenberg near Hannover in the northern state of Lower Saxony, residents were awakened by sirens during the night from Saturday to Sunday because the water overflowed the banks.
Mayor Thomas Wolf said on Sunday that volunteers have been going door to door to warn people. According to him, the municipality has not experienced such a flood in the past 25 years.
The high water occurs in Lower Saxony, which borders the Netherlands, among other places, near the river Weser and its tributaries the Aller, the Leine and the Oker. But flooding is also being warned in the neighboring state of Saxony-Anhalt in central Germany and Saxony in the east.
Drone photo of high water in the Dinkel river overflowing its banks in the rural area near Losser. © ANP
Disruption to air traffic
In addition to the lots of rain, the wind is blowing hard throughout the country. The KNMI warns of heavy gusts of wind in the west of the country and has issued code yellow for the provinces of Zeeland, North and South Holland and the Wadden area. The weather warning applies until mid-evening.
At sea there are wind gusts of around 90 kilometers per hour, further inland they are 75 to 80 kilometers per hour. Traffic and outdoor activities may be affected by this. The wind will decrease somewhat during the evening, according to the KNMI.
Gusts of wind continue to hinder air traffic at Schiphol. Due to the weather conditions, the runways are in limited use. As a result, a number of flights to and from Amsterdam airport are also cancelled.
KLM has canceled 26 outward and return flights in advance, a spokeswoman for the airline said. There could be more. This mainly concerns flights within Europe.
“The stormy weather with gusts of wind continues in the Netherlands. As a result, Air Traffic Control the Netherlands has also issued limited runway capacity for Schiphol for Sunday, December 24,” KLM reports. The company calls the cancellations very annoying for customers, ‘especially given the holidays’.
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The river Regge, which overflows its banks between Enter and Ypelo. © ANP
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2023-12-24 15:33:19
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