Mainz/Saarbrücken (dpa/lrs) – After the storm is before the storm: Rhineland-Palatinate and Saarland have also prepared for new hurricane gusts with speeds of more than 100 kilometers per hour in some cases. After the previous storm “Ylenia” on Thursday, the two federal states prepared for the storm “Zeynep” on Friday.
The German Weather Service (DWD) in Offenbach warned of uprooted trees, falling branches and loose roof tiles for the afternoon and evening. Objects on balconies and terraces should be secured, it said. According to the meteorologists, “Zeynep” in Rhineland-Palatinate and Saarland should have less power than “Ylenia” before it.
Several cities have announced that they will close their cemeteries from Friday over the weekend for fear of falling branches or even falling trees. “Safety simply comes first,” emphasized Jeanette Wetterling, CEO of the Mainz business enterprise. The flood-damaged town of Bad Neuenahr-Ahrweiler also announced that playgrounds, parks, gastronomy tents and the ice rink in the Kurpark would be closed for several days.
The Rhineland-Palatinate Ministry of Education in Mainz was relieved about the start of school holidays given the individual hurricane gusts that were only predicted for the second half of the day. One is glad that the students could make their way home in time on Friday, said a ministry spokesman for the German Press Agency. There are usually no afternoon classes on the last day before school holidays.
During the previous storm “Ylenia” on Thursday, the Ministry of Education was not aware of any weather-related accidents involving students. As a precaution, a low double-digit number of schools across the country were closed on Thursday, according to the spokesman. In addition, the schools in the Ahrweiler district in the north of the country were tight. On Friday morning, however, the school gates were usually opened again everywhere. The students in Rhineland-Palatinate will have their winter holidays next week.
According to the police, the night from Thursday to Friday had been largely mild. At first there was no major storm damage.
© dpa-infocom, dpa:220218-99-185465/3
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