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Cologne in the morning: flotsam in front of the cathedral
Photo: Oliver Berg / dpa
In several federal states the rivers continue to overflow.
Because the high water mark of 8.30 meters was reached on the Rhine, Cologne stopped shipping.
During the course of Friday, the city expects the highest level. "It will not really sink over the weekend," said Cologne's flood control center.
Only at the beginning of the week is expected that the tides will slowly recede.
Accordingly, the Rhine flood reporting center in Mainz expects Cologne to reach a high of between 8.40 and 8.70 meters on Friday.
As a precaution, mobile walls are to be erected in the city at the entrances from the Rhine to the old town.
The so-called high water mark II had already been exceeded near Bonn, and the ships on the section had to anchor.
Ships at anchor
"The shipping is adjusting to the situation," said a spokesman for the management of the water police in Duisburg.
The berths in Cologne are well utilized.
Around 80 ships are currently at anchor in the port of Niehl alone.
In addition to the 30 passenger ships that will stay there over the winter, 50 more have come.
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In Düsseldorf, the water of the Rhine spilled over its banks
Photo: Fotostand / Grosshanten / imago images / Fotostand
In Bonn, the bank areas on both sides of the river were flooded in the center.
Footpaths and bike paths have been cordoned off.
The city announced that parked cars would be towed away.
The city gave the all-clear for residents on the Rhine.
According to current forecasts, the flood will not reach any residential buildings.
The lower-lying district of Bonn-Beuel on the right bank of the Rhine was particularly affected by floods in previous years.
Land also in Rhineland-Palatinate and Hesse
In Rhineland-Palatinate, the water levels on the Upper Rhine remain at a high level, as the flood reporting center (HMZ) in Mainz announced.
It expects that the level in Mainz will slightly exceed last weekend's high on Saturday.
According to the prognosis, a water level of 6.20 to 6.5 meters is expected.
In the Middle Rhine, too, the water levels continue to rise.
According to HMZ, a high of up to 7.30 meters should be reached in Koblenz on Friday morning.
High water mark II was exceeded at the Maxau, Speyer, Bingen, Kaub and Koblenz gauges.
In Hesse, too, people in some regions still have to be prepared for flooding.
The current flood has transformed some areas in Hesse into temporary lake landscapes, for example in the Wetterau and in the Main-Kinzig district.
For Thursday and Friday, the Hessian State Office for Nature Conservation, Environment and Geology (HLNUG) is expecting a second wave, which is likely to hit East and Southeast Hesse in particular.
In southern Hesse, the Kinzig and Nidda areas as well as the Rhine and Neckar are likely to be affected again.
The water level had risen significantly in the past few days due to meltwater and rainfall.
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bbr / dpa