Water level on Elbe rises to record height Water levels on one of Germany's biggest rivers rose to record levels on Sunday, forcing the evacuation of thousands as Central Europe's worst floods in more than a decade continued to exact a punishing toll on residents and businesses. The level of the Elbe in the eastern German city of Magdeburg at the weekend surpassed that caused by the floods of 2002, which became known in Germany as "the flood of the century." In spite of a wall of sandbags lining the Elbe, houses and cellars were inundated in Magdeburg's north-eastern district of Rothensee where the mayor called on some 23,000 residents to leave home. "Rothensee is filling up like a bathtub," Andre Sabzog, German army spokesman, told DPA news agency. Hundreds of soldiers were battling on Sunday to prevent the inundation of an electricity substation that is crucial for residential and industrial electricity supplies as well as for the operation of rescue workers' pumps. Rain continued to fall in Germany and, as the flood waters move northwards towards the port city of Hamburg, further flood damage is likely. Authorities were on Sunday also forced to mount helicopter and ground security patrols after several German media outlets received letters that threatened attacks on dams in the region. Angela Merkel, chancellor, who like other politicians has been keen to show her compassion for flood victims with a general election approaching in September, said on Saturday: "Germany stands admirably united in these days - and that must continue." The Association of German Chambers of Commerce and Industry estimated on Friday that the cost of the flooding would exceed the €11bn estimated for 2002. Magdeburg was an important regional capital that flourished under Otto the Great in the 10th century and its skyline is dominated today by its 13th century Gothic cathedral, the first in Germany. It is the capital of the federal state of Saxony Anhalt and has about 230,000 residents.