Flood early warning for Herrsching: Citizens should report damage

Created: 12/17/2022, 11:00 am

By: Tobias Gmach

Possible again at any time: In July 2016, Hechendorfer Straße in Herrsching was under water.

© SVJ

In order to optimize its heavy rain management, the municipality of Herrsching is asking citizens for help.

They should report damage from the past - so that they can be better warned of floods in the future.

Herrsching – A fictitious example: In a few hours, Fischerstrasse, Kienbachstrasse and Panoramastrasse could be flooded.

This is how specifically the municipality of Herrsching wants to warn its citizens of the dangers of flooding in the future - via the municipality app so that residents can be reached anytime and anywhere.

"It's very close-meshed, we can make a statement for each property," says Mayor Christian Schiller.

He is already enthusiastic about the heavy rain management and the early warning system, which is being developed in cooperation with Spekter.

From a computer simulation that shows exactly under what conditions the rainwater or flash flood water arrives where in Herrsching first.

However, to ensure that the system works not only in theory but also in practice, the municipality relies on the citizens.

They should report damage from the past - so that they can be better warned of floods in the future.

"The empirical values ​​are included in the flash flood risk management and taken into account in the solution concept," says a press release.

The community website www.herrsching.de takes you to www.starkregenmelder.de.

There, those whose property, driveway or street has already been flooded can upload photos of it and classify the cases according to categories: Did groundwater get in?

Was the roof leaking?

Was it a flood or an inundation?

About an overflow or backlog?

Location, time and a more detailed description of the damage are also required.

To register, citizens can also print out a form online or they can get it from Melanie Faude in the town hall (room 317).

Computer simulation shows where the water arrives first

"The participation and information of the affected citizens are of great importance for the development of the risk maps and thus for the extensive avoidance of damage," according to the press release.

Christian Schiller says: “We already have the database.

Now we have to compare them with reality.” When the computer simulations are finished, the citizens will see them.

According to Schiller, the time has come for the citizens' meeting in March.

The mapping costs the community 100,000 euros, but the Free State takes over 75 percent of it.

Pentecost is always a critical time for Herrsching - when meltwater has filled the Ammersee, it rains heavily and then there is a westerly wind.

The last major flood was in July 2016, Hechendorfer Strasse was flooded and the secondary school had to be evacuated.

Potential danger comes from the groundwater, from the Kienbach, Fendlbach and Fischbach.

According to Schiller, sensors are installed at "critical points" as part of the early warning system.

The alarm center should be at the fire brigade.

Schiller intends to complete the project in the course of the coming year.