Spiegel - All-Time Flood Records Fall Across Northern Germany

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It remains unclear exactly how much the flood damages will cost, though a German insurance industry representative told the weekly Die Zeit earlier this week that he expects the costs will be much higher than in 2002. With many places still under water, it will likely be some time before a reliable estimate can be made. German Transport Minister Peter Ramsauer on Thursday said he thought that infrastructure damages would ultimately be in "high hundreds of millions" of euros.

Many parts of Germany, particularly in the north, were not yet ready on Thursday and Friday to begin thinking beyond the floods, though. Several areas in the states of Brandenburg, Saxony-Anhalt, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and Schleswig-Holstein are still underwater or threatened, with several levees in danger of breaking. Officials say that heavy overnight showers in northern Germany may have further weakened dikes that are already strained against the floodwaters.

Some 200 square kilometers (77 square miles) of Saxony-Anhalt remain under water following the collapse of a levee earlier this week. Thousands of people have not yet been able to return to their homes.

German President Joachim Gauck was planning to visit the Bavarian village of Deggendorf on Friday. The town was submerged under almost 10 feet of water late last week after a dike gave way. Photos from the town have become symbolic of the severity of this year's flooding.

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http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/germany-establishes-eight-billion-euro-flood-relief-fund-a-905679.html