At peak times, 270 people were deployed

At peak times, up to 270 firefighters and THW local groups were deployed in a total of 73 rescue and relief operations. The focus was on Vellern, where cellars partially filled up to the ground floor and courtyards were flooded. Unfortunately, the St. Pankratius day care centre was also not spared from the inflowing water. Children and carers were evacuated. According to the network management, the two daycare centres Don Bosco and St. Joseph in Neubeckum will continue to provide care for the two groups until further notice.

The St. Stephanus day care centre in Beckum was protected from flooding with sandbags. The water on the A2 motorway was up to one metre high and both sides of the motorway were closed for several hours. The storm caused a car to hit a lorry. The critically injured driver of the car was trapped in his vehicle and was in danger of drowning as the water level rose. The emergency services managed to free the trapped man in time.

Until the early hours of the morning, around 100 firefighters were still busy pumping out cellars and averting danger from farms in the lowlands. In Lennebrok, the roof truss of a barn and stables caught fire after being struck by lightning. Horses, pigs and livestock were saved. In Unterberg 2, too, large volumes of water from fields ran onto a farm and threatened the animals.

Extraordinary events team deployed
Overall, the amount of rainfall during the night was less than initially expected. Due to the severe weather situation, the City of Beckum's extraordinary events team led by Mayor Michael Gerdhenrich and headed by Elmar Liekenbröcker, Head of the Law, Safety and Order Department, met several times late into the night for consultations.