BERLIN, Oct. 30 (Xinhua) -- German firefighters and police are out in force on Monday as they struggle with the aftermath of the storm "Herwart".
The storm has left at least three dead and caused significant material damage and disruption to transport with strong winds and flooding. Coastal areas in northern Germany are the worst affected.
Firefighters in Hamburg have responded to more than 550 calls after the river Elbe breached its banks and flooded parts of the city near its famous port. And firefighters in Berlin temporarily declared a state of emergency.
In Stuttgart, an Airbus A380 was forced to reroute and make an emergency landing due to powerful gusts at its final destination Frankfurt.
Several rail-connections in Germany were also interrupted by fallen trees, and were only gradually returning to normal operation on Monday.
"Herwart" is already the third autumn storm to batter Germany this year and the second during the month of October, prompting fears that more extreme weather patterns have begun to affect the country because of climate change.
The German Meteorological Service expects "Hewart" to lose most of its force over the course of the week.
