Tens of thousands evacuated in Germany as floods cause havoc

BERLIN: -- Tens of thousands of people were evacuated Sunday from cities and towns along the Elbe river in Germany amid the worst flooding in the region in years.

Germany's eastern state of Saxony-Anhalt has been one of the worst hit so far, with the flooding expected to reach northern areas early next week.

An estimated 23,000 people were brought to safety in state capital Magdeburg, parts of which were evacuated.

Earlier Sunday floodwater levels there reached 7.45 metres, more than 70 centimetres above the level of the 2002 "flood of the century." Authorities said the power supply was in jeopardy as the waters continued to rise.

In some areas emergency workers were using sandbags to increase the dykes by 30 centimetres, but it was difficult to estimate how high the waters would rise.

Both residents and relief workers were reaching the end of their rope, and officials said several people were missing. Thousands of flood victims living in emergency shelters or with relatives and friends did not know when they could return to their homes.

Some 30,000 residents of nearby Halle were evacuated from their homes. President Joachim Gauck attended a church service in the city, along with hundreds of residents, flood volunteers and officials.

"We'll do it again, like we did in 2002," Gauck said, in reference to the reconstruction work in the aftermath of that year's catastrophic flooding.

Officials in the state moved to calm fears over the stability of dykes there. [more...]

Full story: http://english.ruvr.ru/news/2013_06_10/Tens-of-thousands-evacuated-in-Germany-as-floods-cause-havoc-2213/

-- THE VOICE OF RUSSIA 2013-06-10

It will be Thailand's turn in two months or so