Parts of northern and central Europe continues to struggle with floods
Magdeburg for the first time in a decade to alleviate pressure from the swollen Elbe River. The ongoing floods this week prompted evacuations in parts of northern and central Germany, but a dry weather forecast for Thursday offered some relief. Nevertheless, concerns persisted as water levels continued to rise in parts of Lower Saxony state in the northwest.
In Dresden, the Elbe River reached nearly 4 meters (13 feet) above its normal level, reported the German news agency dpa. Downstream, the Pretziener Wehr, a flood barrier dating back to the 1870s and renovated in 2010, was opened for the first time since the major floods in 2013. The objective was to divert approximately a third of the river's water into a 21-kilometer (13-mile) channel, bypassing the town of Schoenebeck and the state capital, Magdeburg, in Saxony-Anhalt.
Meanwhile, in Germany's Thuringia region, residents of the evacuated village of Windehausen were allowed to return home after power was restored.
Across the border in the Netherlands, the Rhine peaked well above normal levels at Lobith village on the German border early Thursday but was expected to decrease significantly over the next week. Authorities noted that other branches of the Rhine throughout the low-lying country were anticipated to peak on Thursday as the elevated waters moved toward the sea.
Emergency crews in the Dutch town of Deventer, expected to be the most affected, worked to fortify defenses along the Ijssel River with sandbags and closed roads in preparation for potential flooding. Several floodplains in the eastern Netherlands were submerged as rivers surged in recent days.
In Hungary, the Danube spilled over its
