Flood heroic deeds: THW Göttingen fights against the floods!

Flood heroic deeds: THW Göttingen fights against the floods!

On December 23, 2023, the Technical Relief Agency (THW) in the Göttingen district was alerted to take flood prevention measures. The district fire chief had called for an urgent operation because the threat of rain gave rise to fears of flooding. In the best THW style, the helpers led by group leader Till Schröder went to work in Rosdorf and filled a total of 20,000 sandbags to keep the water away from the affected places such as Osterode and Bad Sachsa. There were no horror scenarios, as the Göttingen emergency services continued to work on relieving the pressure on dikes in the Harz in the following days Göttingen Tageblatt reported.

Fight against the floods

The situation became more tense in the Kirchwahlingen settlement in the Heidekreis, where the THW emergency services worked with the most modern pump technology to keep the water masses under control. Pumping specialists from Göttingen were on duty who were able to pump up to 25,000 liters of water per minute over the course of the year HNA reported. While the helpers continued to reinforce sandbags and secure dikes, they were dependent on the support of farmers who also used pumps. The focus was on evenly distributing the pressure on the dikes and preventing settlements from being flooded.

Despite the challenges, the solidarity of the helpers from various THW local associations and the gratitude of the residents was remarkable. While the emergency services took care of the safety of the population in these critical situations, group leader Schröder was finally able to see his family again after the work was done and celebrate the festive days. The tension remains, but the knowledge that they act as rescuers even in times of crisis fills the THW members with pride.