GERAMNY: Torrential flood waters in Germany continue their violent push north this morning after destroying dozens of dams and flooding everywhere in its path over the weekend.
The swollen river Elbe is expected to surge through Hamburg in coming days, adding to the existing damage that is already being estimated in billions of euros.
"All of Germany stands before an immense challenge," said the German president, Mr Johannes Rau, of the floods which have killed 12, left 22 missing and affected more than 4 million people.
Yesterday the German foreign minister, Mr Joschka Fischer, flew by helicopter to the Saxon village of Wessenstein accompanied by Mr Romano Prodi, the president of the European Commission.
"You won't remain alone, everything will be done to help you," said Mr Fischer, visibly affected by the ripped-up streets and collapsed buildings.
But the locals who took time out from their salvaging work were suspicious of the whistle-stop tour.
"You'd be better off taking a shovel in your hand," jeered one angry man. "Hopefully you will keep your promise," shouted the local priest as Mr Fischer and Mr Prodi squelched down the muddy streets in their wellington boots.
The same slimy mud coated the streets of Dresden yesterday after flood waters began to recede after reaching a record high of 9.4 metres on Saturday.
"We have experienced our worst time since 1945," said Mr Ingolf Roßberg, the mayor of Dresden, referring to the allied fire-bombing which destroyed the city. Older townspeople however were more resolute.
"The damage is reparable and will not endanger the rebirth of the city," said Mr Hans Nadler (92), who lead the post-war reconstruction of the city.
The 18th-century Zwinger Palace, home to works by Rembrandt, Botticelli and Raphael, was still surrounded by a muddy lake yesterday afternoon.
Soldiers began pumping water from the basement of the nearby Semper Opera house and other buildings as the Elbe slowly shrank from the city streets.
Dresden's fortune of receding flood waters however was the misfortune of towns further downstream yesterday.
More than 60,000 people fled the approaching floods in the towns of Torgau and Wittenberg, where Martin Luther nailed his 95 theses to the cathedral door. The last time Wittenberg saw floods like this was in 1432, a hundred years before Luther's time.
Soldiers began evacuating the town yesterday afternoon after flood waters punched a seven-metre hole in a nearby dam, endangering not just Wittenberg, but 30 other nearby villages.
Last night more than 12,000 soldiers were on duty in eastern Germany, many patrolling flooded towns in boats in some cases forcing residents in danger to leave their homes. As northern cities brace themselves for the flood waters, south-eastern Germany has just begun to assess the damage wrought by the flood.
The pretty town of Grimma in Saxony was a ruin yesterday. Churning waters flooded the town in minutes, ripping up paving stones and taking whole chunks of buildings with it.
"It really is a tragedy. We had just finished a decade of restoration work that cost us €70 million. This sets us back years," said Mr Matthias Berger, the town's mayor.
German leaders have praised the response of ordinary people to the disaster. The chancellor, Mr Gerhard Schröder, said it was bringing the country together in a new way. "With a rebirth of public spirit we now have the opportunity to overcome the remains of the wall in the head," he said.
A hastily arranged telethon on Friday night raised more than €12 million for flood victims. Leading politicians backed one newspaper's call yesterday for every household to donate €15 to a crisis fund.
Today the cabinet will discuss ways to rebuild the flood-devastated east, a region which is still struggling to find its feet after a decade of reconstruction.
The government has agreed a 12-point flood-relief action plan and has already made available €100 million. Individual applicants are entitled to €500 to a maximum of €2,000 to each household. Berlin has promised a total of €400 million in low-interest loans, al though that figure is certain to grow exponentially in the coming days.