Storm Ziros: Tragedy in Berlin - woman dies, train traffic paralyzed!

Storm Ziros: Tragedy in Berlin - woman dies, train traffic paralyzed!

Storm “Ziros” hit Berlin and Brandenburg with full force on Monday, turning the region into chaos. Unfortunately, the storm also claimed a life: a woman died when a tree fell on her car in Spandau. The weather conditions not only left human tragedies in their wake, but also numerous injuries across Berlin, including a cyclist with life-threatening injuries in Zehlendorf and another seriously injured person in Spandau who had to be hospitalized. In addition, a person who was injured by falling branches in the Tegel Forest had to be flown to hospital by helicopter. etc reports that the Berlin fire department declared a state of emergency and recorded over 500 calls within an hour and a half.

The effects of the storm were also evident in train traffic: long-distance and regional trains, especially on the route between Berlin and Hamburg, were affected on Monday, leading to significant delays and disruptions. S-Bahn traffic resumed on Tuesday morning, but not without delays and cancellations on almost all lines, except the Ringbahn and line S47. While only minor damage and over 200 missions due to fallen trees were reported in eastern Brandenburg, the situation was different in western Brandenburg. There were over 350 missions there, particularly in Brandenburg an der Havel, Potsdam-Mittelmark and Teltow-Fläming, whereby the fire brigade also had to extinguish lightning strikes that had caught fire after power lines fell.

Flooded streets and a dilapidated infrastructure problem

In addition to the storm damage, Berlin has had to contend with heavy rain since Monday, which further aggravated the situation. Emergency services were called over 400 times to clear fallen trees, flooded basements and blocked railway lines. Videos from the city show high winds and heavy rain as subway stations turned into temporary waterfalls. A burst rainwater pipe at the Technical University also led to the physics department being flooded, which led the president of the university to criticize the dilapidated condition of the buildings and point out the urgent need for action. the-berliner.com notes that extreme weather events are increasing in the city and are repeatedly pushing the infrastructure to its limits.

The German Weather Service recorded the highest wind speed of 108 km/h at the Free University of Berlin. While the storm eased somewhat on Monday evening and temperatures fell below 30 degrees, sunny weather is expected for the next few days, despite another storm warning. Loud unwetterzentrale.de People can expect temperatures between 20 and 24 degrees Celsius in the next few days. Recent events highlight the importance of paying attention to natural hazards, especially when we think of tragic incidents from the past, such as Storm Xavier, which led to another tragic death in Berlin in 2017.

In these challenging times, a good hand in both emergency management and improving urban infrastructure is required so that such extreme weather situations can be better managed in the future.