Original source (on modern site)
The situation in the flood-hit area of Germany's Saarland region is continuing to ease. "The water levels are falling almost everywhere and the clean-up work is beginning," said a spokesman for the Saarland Ministry of the Interior on Sunday. The exact extent of the damage is still unclear. "We are still investigating and need to get an overview; it will be weeks before we can give a reliable total," he said. In the meantime, most of the emergency services that had come from other federal states to provide support had left again, the spokesman added. In Blieskastel, the historic old town was cleared of water using pumps. "The water there is still boot-high, the situation is under control," the spokesman said on Sunday morning. There is one more operation on Sunday in the town of Lebach on the edge of the flood area, he said. A bomb from World War II is to be defused there in the course of the day. On Friday during the day and into the night, enormous amounts of rain caused flooding, landslides and it is believed a lot of damage in Saarland. In the state capital of Saarbrücken, the city motorway was flooded and had to be closed. A coal-fired power station in Saarland, a western state that borders France and Luxembourg, was also flooded, as several media reported. Saarbrücken's disaster control authority lifted the state of major damage classification it established after the severe flooding. The acute rescue and safety measures had been completed and the water levels were continuing to recede, the city's press office announced on Saturday evening. The residents of the old town are busy pumping out and clearing away after the flood. Andreas Arnold/dpa A resident pushes the water in his cellar to the pump-out point. Andreas Arnold/dpa