A year after the flood: fire brigade Waiblingen takes stock!

A year after the flood: fire brigade Waiblingen takes stock!

Waiblingen, Deutschland - The fire brigade Waiblingen looks back on the devastating flood of the century of 2024. At the beginning of June, the Rems-Murr district experienced a natural disaster that flooded large parts of the Rems and Wieslauf valley. The areas around the leg stone and the regions close to the river were particularly affected, while Waiblingen himself got off a comparatively lightning obligation. The deputy commander of the fire brigade, Björn Mutschler, describes the Situation as serious, but less bad than in the rest of Remstal. Heavy rain resulted in a rapid increase in water levels, which significantly influenced the situation in the region.

In order to better predict future flood events and react to it, the Rems-Murr district works on a circular level measurement network. This should serve to provide information in the event of heavy rain or floods at an early stage. At the end of 2022, an engineering office was commissioned to determine suitable level locations on smaller rivers and streams. A total of 80 new locations were identified, which together with 54 existing levels result in a network of 134 locations. These are equipped with digital transmitters to monitor fluwas levels via the flood information and warning system that enable automated alarms for certain levels.

investments in the infrastructure and disaster prevention

In addition, the district office plans to build an integrated control center (ILS) in Waiblingen. This will be responsible for non-police security. The district invests 45% and health insurance companies 55% in this project, which is intended to offer the latest technology and optimized working conditions. Construction began in autumn 2024, with an expected completion in 2026.

Another goal of the district is the expansion of a comprehensive siren network. A comprehensive siren network is created together with the cities and municipalities. A sound report for possible siren locations was commissioned in autumn 2021. The first sirens were installed in Burgstetten and Murrhardt in 2023; In the coming year, new sirens are to be built in 24 out of 31 municipalities in the district.

climate protection and extreme weather events

The meteorologist Sven Plöger emphasizes the increasing frequency of extreme weather events and asks politicians to take disaster and climate protection seriously. District Administrator Sigel announced that the climate protection goals continue to advance by 2030 and to strengthen measures to improve flood prevention. Further information on this is available on the pages of the BMU

The lessons from the flood events of 2024 show how important a well -prepared infrastructure for risk minimization and the constant willingness of the emergency services are. The experiences from Waiblingen and the other Remstal offer valuable knowledge to be prepared for the future.