There are repeated heavy rainfalls that fill the basement with water.
Freising's District Fire Council explains what is important in such situations.
District
- More than 100 dead, numerous missing, entire villages that fell victim to the masses of water: The extent of the storm catastrophe in North Rhine-Westphalia and Rhineland-Palatinate is dramatic - and in its entirety still cannot be estimated.
How quickly heavy rain can trigger severe floods only became clear a few days ago in the neighboring district of Landshut.
And in Freising you are not immune from such events: Unforgettable are the Whitsun floods in 1999, the flood of the century in 2013 or the heavy rain in 2018 that flooded the Hallertau.
It is all the more important to know what to do in the event of an emergency.
District fire chief Manfred Danner explains what is important when it comes to water in the basement - and why patience is urgently required.
Mr. Danner, what do I do if I notice that the cellar is filling up?
The most important thing is not to act mindlessly.
If water is noticed in the basement, the first impulse is often to see what is going on.
In principle, that is not wrong either.
That sounds like a "but".
Correct.
Of course you can go down the stairs to get a rough idea of the location.
But if the water is already several centimeters high, you should definitely not wade into it.
One should never underestimate the power of water.
Unfortunately, this happens very often.
What exactly is it that is dangerous?
When a basement fills up, it usually happens very quickly.
At the same time, the water pressure rises.
If, for example, the pane of a shaft bursts due to this external pressure on doors and windows, the room is full of water in no time.
It is underestimated that the level is rising so quickly.
And then doors can no longer be opened because the water pressure is far too high.
As a result, tragically, people often drown in their basements.
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2021 in Erfstadt: In North Rhine-Westphalia, the rains not only flooded cellars, but also caused entire houses to collapse.
Numerous people are missing.
The storm disaster in western Germany is one of the largest in the post-war period.
© Rhein-Erft-Kreis / dpa
But not only the water itself is threatening.
The next point is electricity.
In a crowded basement, power lines pose a great danger.
Down there are mostly the meter cabinets, and when the level rises and reaches cables, switches or sockets, it can easily be that the entire surface of the water is suddenly energized.
That is why the electricity has now been switched off across the board in the floodplains in North Rhine-Westphalia and Rhineland-Palatinate.
So what do you advise in the event of a full cellar?
Get an idea of the situation, but only enough so that you don't endanger yourself.
Many then want to go to the cellar quickly to save mementos or something similar.
But - as drastic as it sounds - if there's water in it, it's too late anyway.
Furniture, cardboard boxes or whatever you store down there are broken anyway.
It is all the more important to be patient and let the emergency services do their work.
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Freising's district fire chief Manfred Danner.
© FFW
Does that sound like you sometimes run into incomprehension during missions?
Unfortunately, this is always the case. There are people who think that the water has to get out as quickly as it came in. It's often not that easy. Because if it is a flood situation with very high groundwater, it has to go back before the cellar can be pumped out. Otherwise, external pressure can cause damage to the building. Of course we are happy to help, that is also our job. But it is important to maintain proportionality: if the water is three centimeters high and you hit it with the cleaning rag, the fire brigade does not need to be alerted. Because that, in turn, is not our job.
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