Teltow reacts: take a closer look at flat roofs, avoid sporting closures!

Teltow reacts: take a closer look at flat roofs, avoid sporting closures!

The city of Teltow is currently concerned about the safety of its flat roof buildings. The announcement by Vice Mayor Beate Rietz (SPD) at the January city council meeting was no coincidence. The idea behind it: a critical inspection of the flat roofs of the sports halls in order to avoid future closures after storms. The reason for this was the closure of the halls after the snowstorm Elli, which hit the region on January 9, 2026.

FDP city councilor Hans-Peter Goetz raised his concerns at the meeting. The decision to close the sports halls turned out to be problematic for many sports clubs. Rietz admitted that the decision was not optimally communicated and took responsibility for the situation. “We missed the time to reopen the halls,” she admitted.

Responsibility and flexibility

Although the storm warning was lifted on Friday morning, the halls remained closed until further notice. Mayor Thomas Schmidt (SPD) emphasized the need to protect the lives and safety of citizens while accepting criticism of the decision. The city administration informed the club bosses in good time about the closure of the halls and plans to learn from the incident. In the future, there should be more flexible reactions to weather events in order to avoid discontent and uncertainty.

The building authority will now create comprehensive documentation about the load-bearing loads of the roofs. The aim is to develop a rough guide for future weather events. This also includes calculating at what snow depth flat roofs get into critical zones. The statics of solar systems and green roofs are also taken into account in the considerations.

Storm warnings at a glance

In view of the risk of severe weather, the severe weather center for Brandenburg has published an overview map. This shows that areas such as Prignitz, Land Ruppin, Uckermark and Teltow are still at risk of severe weather. Advance warnings are issued up to 48 hours in advance, while acute warnings confirm the arrival of the dangers. The warning levels range from moderate storms (orange) to extreme storms (purple).

Of course, it is important to keep such weather forecasts in mind. The information from the severe weather center is available around the clock and is continually updated by experienced meteorologists. This means that the people of Teltower are well informed about the weather situation - and at the same time the city administration strives to ensure the safety of its infrastructure.

The next steps are clear: Teltow wants to learn from the current situation and adapt its approach to ensure both the safety of citizens and the functionality of the sports facilities. Let's hope future snowstorms don't pose similar challenges for the city.

Further information about severe weather warnings can be found on the Severe Weather Center or in the article by maz-online.de.