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Schunicht, E., Schernewski, G., Scheibe, R.. Oderflut 1997: Ökologische, ökonomische und soziale Auswirkungen und Konsequenzen. In: Schernewski, G., Hanßen, H., Schumacher, S. (eds.). Coastal change in the southern Baltic Sea Region. Coastline Reports (12), pp. 187-199. EUCC - The Coastal Union, Leiden, 2009.

Zusammenfassung:

This study examines the ecological, economical and social impacts and consequences of the Oder flood 1997. Both, the river basin and the coastal zone are covered and we discuss the consequences and adaptation measures of this flood. Problematic were the high amounts of eroded contaminants and nutrients. In the flooded Ziltendorfer Niederung an oxygen-deficit caused a fish mortality. Also the entry of mineral oils of damaged heaters into the water and soil of the Ziltendorfer Niederung demanded radical measures. The flood had also impacts on the Oder Haff and the Pomeranian Bight. There was detected the death of many sessile vertebrates because of an oxygen-deficit caused by the stable stratification of the water and the high amount of phytoplankton which developed after the entry of nutrients. But in total the high amounts of water during the flood diluted the concentration of the contaminants and the nutrients. The future will show if there will be any long-ranging impacts.

The flood caused in total an economical damage of 3 billion Euro in the Czech Republik, Poland and Germany and about 100 people died. In Germany nobody died but there was an economical damage of 320 Mio. Euro. No other occurrence in Germany was accompanied by the media like the Oder flood of 1997. As a result 60 Mio. Euro were donated to the victims of the flood. The German armed forces also received a new positive image because of the successful mission during the flood. After the flood many national and international programs were founded to avoid another flooding in the future. Most programs demanded that the focus of flood protection should switch from a technical protection to an ecological, precautional flood protection. As the Oder is a transnational river the flood protecting measures taken in Poland are of a very high importance for Germany.

The aims of the polish program ‘Odra 2006’ concern not only to ecological and technical flood protection but also to the use of the river as a source of energy and for inland navigation. So a future flood will mean higher waterlevels for Germany because the Czech Republik and Poland are better prepared and it is implausible that the dikes in Poland will break again as they did in 1997. But until today, Germany focusses mainly on the enlargement of dikes and not on the establishment of flooding areas. The chance to develop a future-oriented, sustainable, cross-border Integrated River Basin Coastal Area Management (ICARM) has been missed.

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