RSOE EDIS - Situation Update No. 4 : Germany - Snow Storm

RSOE Emergency and Disaster Information Service Budapest, Hungary RSOE EDIS ALERTMAIL

Situation Update No. 4 Posted:2010-01-09, 17:17:17 [UTC] Ref.no.: SS-20100109-24483-DEU Situation Update No. 4 On 2010-01-11 at 10:24:53 [UTC] Event: Snow Storm Location: Germany Statewide Situation: Europeans were struggling to restore roads and railways Sunday after heavy snow caused hundreds of traffic accidents, halted flights from Germany and France, downed power lines in Poland and trapped more than 160 people overnight on a frozen German highway. The 148 adults and 19 children stuck on Germany's coastal A20 highway survived by running their car engines until rescuers using snow ploughs and excavators pushed through 2 metre drifts to free them Sunday morning, police in the town of Altentreptow said. "At least the fire-fighters were able to bring them hot beverages and food while they were waiting," said Jens Apelt, a spokesman for the Altentreptow highway police. After being rescued, the people were brought to tents set up by local aid organizations until rescuers could unblock all the cars. "We're trying to free all cars from the snow so that the drivers can get back to their vehicles and take a different road instead," Apelt said. Hundreds of weather-related road accidents were reported in Germany after a second day of heavy snowfall, especially along the Baltic Coast. Two men were killed when their car hit a tree in Nordvorpommern. Ferry service across the Baltic to Scandinavia was cancelled, and rough sea swells flooded several streets in the cities of Flensburg and Luebeck while threatening to break levees in the village of Dahmeshoeved. Rescue teams were busy repairing damage, the Germany news agency DAPD said. "The waves of the Baltic Sea are whipping against the boardwalk, pulling bricks out of the wall with incredible power which are flying around uncontrollably," police in Luebeck-Travemuende said in a statement. In south-eastern France, about 800 people at a snowbound airport in Lyon spent the night huddled on waiting room armchairs or camping cots, after flights in and out of the south-eastern city were halted Saturday night. Flights resumed gradually Sunday morning. Please DO NOT reply to this message: replies may be treated as errors and result in your subscription being deleted. If you have trouble or other queries, send email to havaria@rsoe.hu RSOE EDIS is operated by the National Association of Radio-Distress Signalling and Infocommunications (RSOE), Budapest, Hungary. Because of the complexity of this system and its dependence on other systems, we cannot be responsible for delays or failures in forwarding or transmission. You're receiving this AlertMail because you subscribed for the service. To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now. Contact: havaria@rsoe.hu