Storm damage to German Olympic port estimated in millions

The storm that battered Germany's northern coast on Friday caused millions of euros worth of damages to one of the country's top boating complexes, officials said on Sunday as the clean-up continued, reported dpa.

"It is a disaster," the mayor of the city of Kiel, Ulf Kämpfer, said following the first storm of the autumn, which swept through the Olympiahafen Schilksee where hundreds of yachts and others boats are moored.

More than 35 boats had sunk and many others were damaged at the complex built to host sailing events in the 1972 Munich Olympics, Kämpfer said.

The other port facilities, jetties and the pier also suffered considerable damage in the easterly storm that raged across the Baltic Sea, also lashing parts of Denmark, Sweden and Norway.

"We have tears in our eyes when we see the violence of the flood and the damage done," said Philipp Mühlenhardt, managing director of the Olympiahafen's operating company. "The fire department and many relief workers already started on Saturday to help with the clean-up."

Floodwaters more than 2 metres high affected parts of Germany's northern state of Schleswig-Holstein, including the cities of Kiel and Flensburg, which took the brunt of the storm.

It was still too early to put an exact cost on the loss of property and repairs needed, officials said.

"We assume that the damage here was in the millions," said Councillor Gerwin Stöcken, who joined Kämpfer in calling for better protection of open parts of the coast from violent easterly winds.

They also said the area's cliffs had been badly hit by the storm's aftermath. Landslides on the shore and a large amount of downed trees offered a picture of destruction.

Around 2,000 people had to leave their homes because of the flooding, and a woman on the island of Fehmarn died in the storm on Friday when a falling tree hit a car.

Some roads in Schleswig-Holstein remained closed on Sunday as the floodwaters slowly receded.