After the heavy rain on Friday evening, the Berlin fire brigade prepared for possible further storm operations. A state of emergency was declared for about three hours on Friday evening in order to be able to mobilize sufficient forces in an emergency.
During this time there were around 80 weather-related operations, as a spokesman told the Tagesspiegel on Saturday morning. In most cases, therefore, private cellars had to be pumped out. Storm damage such as broken branches, on the other hand, was found less frequently. “It was quieter than expected, but we are prepared,” said the spokesman.
According to the fire department, the state of emergency was declared on Friday from 5 p.m. to 8:40 p.m. The entire Berlin fire brigade was deployed, and 15 volunteer fire brigades were also activated. The region most affected by the storm was the south-east of Berlin in and around Rudow. The storm hit the northwest the weakest.
After the weather had calmed down overnight, more heavy rain was possible on Saturday, the spokesman said. “We continue to monitor the situation.” The volunteer fire brigades have meanwhile been reduced.
Severe weather warning for Saturday
In Berlin, the authorities continue to warn of severe thunderstorms and heavy rain. Concerts and other cultural events have been cancelled.
On Friday afternoon, the concert of the band “Die Ärzte” on the Tempelhofer Feld could not take place due to the weather. The organizer said the event was forced to end for safety reasons. “The events on Saturday and Sunday will take place as planned according to the current status.”
The appearance of the musician Marteria in Wuhlheide was also canceled. Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and his wife Elke Büdenbender also canceled their public festival on Friday evening to be on the safe side.
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The Berlin State Ballet also met the weather conditions: The planned boat tour “From Berlin with love”, which should have taken place as part of the cultural summer festival on the Spree, was postponed, as the State Ballet announced on Facebook on Friday afternoon. Now the tour is scheduled to take place on Monday, September 12th.
Fire brigade advises Berliners to stay at home
On Friday, the fire brigade called on the population via Twitter to stay indoors, clear balconies and unplug TVs.
There were also problems at BER Airport in Schönefeld on Friday afternoon due to thunderstorms. As the airport company announced on Twitter, the handling had been temporarily suspended. She has since been reinstated.
For the weekend, the German Weather Service announced further rain in the capital region: Until Saturday evening there will be thunderstorms and local extreme storms due to heavy rain. The maximum temperatures on Saturday are between 24 and 26 degrees, and according to the weather service there are still showers and thunderstorms in some areas on Sunday night.
On Sunday there should still be showery rain, especially in the Uckermark, the Oderbruch and Lower Lusatia, then general loosening, in the evening it should be “partially clear”. The maximum values are then between 22 and 25 degrees. (with dpa)
