Only alert level II has been in force in the Oder-Spree district since Sunday, water levels are continuing to fall and the flood situation is easing.
Michael Buhrke, Deputy Mayor and Head of Internal Administration, Construction and District Development, as well as Head of the Civil Protection administrative staff, gave an initial assessment on Monday: "We were always ahead of the situation, ahead of the alert levels and provided information at an early stage. This principle proved its worth and we got through the flood situation well. The most important thing is that the dykes held."
Buhrke went on to emphasize that the district would now dismantle where it had built up, for example the sand storage area in Eisenhüttenstadt or certain transfer points along the Oder. The State Office for the Environment is responsible for dismantling the dyke itself.
The administrative staff will now take the time to work together with the various agencies, the municipalities and offices and the emergency services to address all the issues that were raised during the floods. These include the implementation of the flood plan, damaged areas on the dyke, for example due to beaver structures, the deployment of dyke runners and the provision of supplies for the emergency services. "We will take a very specific look at what went well and where we need to improve. One topic will definitely be the situation at the bulwark in the Eisenhüttenstadt district of Fürstenberg, where the deployment of resources was sometimes disproportionate. A sheet pile wall, i.e. a mobile flood protection wall, would be an idea that we need to discuss," says Michael Buhrke.
District Councillor Frank Steffen looks back positively on the last week: "The professional work of our flood staff in collaboration with the volunteers on site worked extremely well. I would like to thank all the fire departments and emergency services in the district and neighboring districts for their support. We got through the week well and saw various things under live conditions that we are now tackling."