Even the old-timers did not remember such bad weather in Hamburg. Not a single chronicle of the last century recorded it, it is quite possible that nothing like this has happened before. Not very strong, but constant wind blew for several days in a row and drove waves from the sea at the mouth of the Elbe River. And the Elbe, which flows into the Baltic Sea, overflowed, overflowed its banks and moved in the opposite direction - to the city located on both its banks. This event happened on the night of February 16, 1962. Water flowed through the streets and squares of Hamburg, first filling them by a meter, then its level rose by two meters, and then by three.
The port of Hamburg, the second largest city in the Federal Republic of Germany after Berlin, located a hundred kilometers from the Baltic Sea, was partially flooded by the incoming sea water. Due to the high water standing in the streets, all transport communications stopped at one point, telephone lines were damaged, elevators did not work in houses, and the supply of water and gas stopped. People could not leave the house at all - there was water all around.
It was especially hard for the inhabitants of the first floors - they had to flee at night. But where? Only one floor higher or into the attic, and from there to the steep roof. And in the dark, in the cold, people climbed through the windows and attics, some fell and fell into the very water from which they were fleeing. Its temperature was only seven to eight degrees, and the depth reached two to three meters. For those who did not know how to swim, it was certain death. And what could the infirm old men and women do, where to put the babies? No one had boats or any other life-saving equipment.
The urban area of Wilhelmsburg underwent a sea siege, which was literally all flooded. The elements raged all day, and on the night of February 17, the city defenses - dams - could not withstand the pressure of water. They broke through, and the waves that received complete freedom began their further destructive march through Hamburg. A fifth of the city was under water, and its level, meanwhile, rose to the menacing mark - 5.7 meters. This threatened total flooding.
People no longer expected help, but they themselves made life rafts from boards and furniture, continued to crawl out of apartments and climb into attics and roofs. Wet, frozen, lacking food and warm clothing, they could not hold out for a long time. Many of them slid off roofs and trees and fell into the icy water. Such an unexpected flood of the Elbe, moreover, in winter, no one foresaw, although in the event of a flood the city authorities had their own anti-crisis plan to rescue people, but no one expected such a high arrival of water at one time. Everything had to be organized on the go.
All the work to save people was taken over by the Minister of the Interior in the government of the state of Lower Saxony Helmut Schmidt, the future chancellor of Germany. By his order, the soldiers of the Bundeswehr joined the rescue of people. Allies - the American military - also offered their help. They delivered boats and helicopters. So, rubber inflatable boats with German and American soldiers appeared on the streets of Hamburg, helicopters circled in the sky - and the rescue began.
Twenty thousand inhabitants were removed by soldiers from roofs and trees, and from floors of flooded buildings. Two hundred small landing craft and 140 inflatable boats floated through the streets of Hamburg like Venetian gondolas. They contained hot food, drinks, blankets. More than seventy helicopters of the Bundeswehr and 25 helicopters of the American army circled in the sky.
Only a few days later the water slept, only a few days later the element calmed down. Then the scale of the disaster was revealed: 337 people died, 75 thousand were left homeless, and the total damage was estimated at almost three billion German marks.
Promotional video:
February 17, 1962 is a black date for Hamburg residents.
HUNDRED GREAT DISASTERS. N. A. Ionina, M. N. Kubeev