Balance of storm "Zeynep": 100 operations in Bocholt

The storm "Zeynep" caused 100 incidents in Bocholt. This is reported by the fire department. 75 firefighters were deployed, supported by 28 employees of the Entsorgungs- und Servicebetrieb Bocholt (ESB) and 28 forces of the THW Bocholt.

Many trees in a crooked position

In close coordination with the fire department's operations center, tree experts from the ESB checked the stability of a large number of trees on Friday evening. Particular attention was paid to trees that were leaning or had severely broken branches. Some trees had to be felled as a result. The ESB employees finished their work around midnight with the felling of a mighty beech tree in Holtwick, which had a so-called Zwiesel fracture. Zwiesel means a competing shoot to the main trunk that grows steeply and strongly out of it.

Tree felling on Bismarckstraße

On Saturday morning, starting at 06:00, a total of 22 employees of the ESB's green space department swarmed out to the danger spots documented the night before. One of the first assignments led to Bismarckstraße. ESB tree specialist Frank Wissing dropped the tree to be felled specifically onto the Theodor-Heuss-Ring at around 07:00. The work was carried out quickly with the aid of a cable winch, so that the Ring only had to be closed for a few minutes at this point.

As in previous storms, there was an accumulation of fallen trees and broken branches in the northeast of the city. The areas around the cemetery and in the area of the city forest were affected. The streets Heutingsweg and In der Ziegelheide, which had been closed off earlier in the evening, could be reopened around 8:30 a.m. after the clearing work of the ESB. ESB operations manager Sven van den Berg assumes that all road closures can be lifted on Saturday afternoon and that the areas classified as particularly dangerous have been defused.

Caution on cycle paths

Nevertheless, caution is still advised, especially in the city forest and on bike paths. The bike paths are littered with branches in many places. In some places it is advisable to get off the bike.

Overall, according to the impressions of ESB manager Gisbert Jacobs, the people of Bocholt have prepared carefully for the storm and have secured objects that could blow away well. Only a few tents, construction site toilets and trash cans flew through the area. A children's trampoline landed in the back-up end bed of the cemetery parking lot newly laid out by the ESB.

Press releases of the fire department Bocholt about the storm "Zeynep

• Press release from 17.2.2022 "First interim balance".
• Press release from 17.2.2022 "Interim balance: Storm low causes increased deployment".
• Press release from 18.2.2022 "Current operational balance".