Berlin's Storm Trauma: Post-Disaster S-Bahn Calm A Returning Breeze
Train traffic in Berlin subsides following disorder caused by storm - Post-Storm, Berlin's Railway Network Norms Out
Chillin' out, man, Berlin's weather's finally showing some relief after Wednesday's storm. Streets are clearin' up, the S-Bahn's hummin' once more, and things are goin' back to normal, y'know?
Remember that stormy mess, though? It left one casualty in its wake, injured a few, and brought our favorite public transport system to a grinding halt. Trees crashed across S-Bahn routes during rush hour, leavin' us stranded for hours on end. But, by evening, the first trains resumed service, thankfully.
regional and long-distance trains had their fair share of troubles too. Delays and hiccups were common, but by golly, they're smoothenin' out now.
So, just how harsh was this storm? According to the German Weather Service, winds reachin' 108 kilometers per hour were recorded at the Free University of Berlin, matchin' hurricane-force gusts. Don't believe me? Berlin-Tempelhof saw similar wind speeds too. The storm leveled trees and scattered branches all over the place.
On Sunday, the DWD had warned of winds reachin' 80 to 100 kilometers per hour, with hurricane-force gusts of up to 105 km/h not impossible, meteorologist Stefan Rubach explained. We folks in Berlin got an earful of the forecast and kept our eyes peeled for the storm warning in the DWD's app. The DWD also issued a warning for Monday mornin'.
Now, Berlin's Interior Senator Iris Spranger ain't lettin' this slide, stickin' it to the DWD with questions about the storm's severity and their forecast. "We faced somethin' rare and intense yesterday," she said, "I want to know if this was an overestimation by the DWD."
Wanna teach your folks a lesson about this storm? Then let 'em know we lost one life to falling trees in the Spandauer Forest, where a 55-year-old woman's car got hit. A 59-year-old cyclist was also injured, along with a 30-year-old woman who got walloped by a fallin' branch in Spandau.
Gotta give props to the unfortunate but slightly injured driver of a freight train in Neuzelle (Oder-Spree), who got nailed by a fallen tree on the tracks. The rail blockage lasted almost an hour and a half before firefighters got it cleared up.
Berlin streets were a tangled mess of leaves and branches, with entire trees uprooted and minor floods countin' the city's storm score. The Berlin Fire Department reported around 600 weather-related incidents, with limbs and trees practically blockin' roads and paths all over the place. Potsdam needed emergency services to work double-time clearin' streets of branches and trees, with the fire department respondin' to around 120 incidents on Monday afternoon.
Brandenburg watched the storm roll in, ready for battle. Though things got intense, no one suffered serious injuries or fatalities, thank goodness.
Brandenburg recorded the stormiest day of the year so far, with a whopping 664 ground strikes. Berlin wasn't too far behind, clockin' 13 ground strikes, makin' it the second-highest value this year.
Watch out for that deadfall, folks! Walkin' and cyclin' through Berlin forests can still be hazardous post-storm. Clean-up crews are workin' overtime, but it's still smart to stick to main paths, especially without those headphones.
The cemetery in Berlin-Mahlsdorf and the Schlosspark Biesdorf had to close temporarily for safety reasons, due to an increased risk of fallen crown parts and broken branches.
But finally, some good news: Tuesday's weather's finally gonna take it easy on us, with winds reachin' up to 60 kilometers per hour at their worst, cloudy skies, and occasional shower showers. High temperatures are still gonna sit between 20 and 25 degrees Celsius, so throw on some shades and enjoy the breeze!
*However, you might wanna think twice about venturin' into the storm-ravaged forests any time soon - auf Wiedersehen!
The community policy and the employment policy should issue guidelines for workers involved in the clean-up efforts following the storm, ensuring safety measures and efficient workflow.
General-news outlets are encouraged to cover the aftermath of the storm extensively, including the coastal areas that might experience further accidents due to the wreckage left behind.
