A year after the flood of the century: Where is Schleswig-Holstein now?

A year after the flood of the century: Where is Schleswig-Holstein now?

A year after the devastating storm surge, which Schleswig-Holstein met on October 20, 2023, the situation in the region is still tense. The damage that is estimated on magnificent 200 million euros is still left traces in many communities. Meanwhile, the question remains how the authorities can be better prepared in the future to avoid similar disasters.

The storm surge not only led to a sad death, but also to the fact that some dikes were badly damaged. In Flensburg the water level increased to heights, which were last reached in 1872. This shocked many citizens and led to the fact that politics and the Ministry of the Environment had to order a detailed inventory of the repair measures.

Current status of the dike repairs

The repair work on the regional ponds has not yet been completed. A total of six and a half kilometers of the Baltic Sea dike line suffered massive damage during the flood. In particular, the dike of Oehe and the repairs to the Weidefeld regional pond are characterized by major delays and are only to be completed in 2025. In Süssau in the district of Ostholstein, the coverage cannot be completed in time.

Jörg Reinhardt, head of the disaster protection of the Schleswig-Flensburg district, explained that the regional pond near Oehe-Maasholm was still largely damaged. These incomplete repairs raise questions about security, especially if storm floods should occur again in the coming season that could be as devastating as last year.

In order to better protect the citizens, the Ministry of the Environment has promised to secure the open dye sections during the winter. Minister Goldschmidt said optimistically and assured that the dikes are restored so that the community was well equipped for the next storm flood season.

responsibilities and new initiatives

Another aspect that is relevant to the citizens concerns the forecasts over water levels. The city of Flensburg was surprised by the extreme water heights during the storm surge. The official predictions of the Federal Office for Sea shipping and hydrography (BSH) underestimated the actual flood height by almost 30 centimeters. In order to prevent such incorrect forecasts, Flensburg will also take into account the predictions of the Danish Meteorological Institute (DMI), which predict significantly higher levels.

In addition, the BSH plans to improve its forecast models by evaluating several calculations at the same time. This should lead to a wide variety of weather forecasts flow into the model simulations in order to minimize uncertainty and to make the predictions more precisely.

For the city of Flensburg, costs for the construction of the sucked quays are now also pending. These are estimated at up to 15 million euros. In order to receive financial support from the reconstruction fund, however, it must be demonstrated that the damage can be attributed directly to the storm surge. The application must be submitted by the end of October, whereby the city expects the quantities to be completed in about five years.

The events of recent years have made it clear that flood protection in Schleswig-Holstein is not only a question of the infrastructure, but also the forward-looking planning and the coordinated cooperation between the various authorities and institutions. In view of the threat of climate change and rising sea levels, effective flood protection is becoming increasingly important for the future to ensure the safety of residents.

More information and analyzes on this topic are in a report on www.ndr.de to be found.