Heavy rain and flash floods

Hardly predictable and localized: Storms with heavy rain often occur in summer in combination with thunderstorms. As much rain can fall in a few minutes or hours as would otherwise fall in an entire month. The excess water often makes its way outside streams and rivers as flash floods. If the water cannot seep into the ground quickly enough or be drained away via a sewer system, underpasses, underground garages or cellars can quickly fill up. In Erlangen, too, there have been repeated heavy rainfall events in recent years that have caused major damage and created a lot of work for the emergency services.

Our tips for prevention

• It is therefore important to pay close attention to weather forecasts and warnings from the German Weather Service. During a storm or flash flood, you should stay indoors if possible, but avoid basements and underground garages at all costs.
• In the event of a storm with many affected buildings and streets, the emergency services cannot be everywhere at the same time. It is therefore important to keep the emergency lines (112) free for acute emergencies only.
• It is particularly important to take precautions at an early stage. Backwater valves in basements should be checked regularly to prevent water from entering buildings via the sewer system. Electrical appliances and heaters in rooms at risk should be switched off in good time to avoid damage and the risk of electric shock. If necessary, the electricity in the affected area should be switched off completely.
• Underground garages can fill with water in a very short time and become life-threatening traps. Flooded roads must not be driven on under any circumstances, as even small amounts of water are enough to damage or wash away vehicles.
• The basic rule is: help other people, but do not put yourself in danger. Children and people in need of help should be removed from endangered areas at an early stage.

In order to better assess hazards and develop suitable protective measures, a heavy rain hazard map is currently being drawn up for the entire city area. With the help of the population, it is intended to show where surface runoff, flooding from bodies of water or flooding from the sewer system can occur during heavy rainfall (details on the Internet at www.erlangen.de/aktuelles/starkregenkarte-mithilfe-gefragt).

Further information on this topic can be found at www.erlangen.de/krisenvorsorge. Every month, the city of Erlangen provides information on a specific topic in the series "Precautions for crises and disasters".