The flood disaster left many people homeless. Some of them are temporarily housed in the almost deserted villages of the Rhenish lignite mining area.
Erftstadt – After the flood disaster in July, 13 affected families temporarily moved to empty houses in the Rhenish lignite mining district. They now lived in 15 buildings, including in Kuckum, Keyenberg and Morschenich, said Guido Steffen, spokesman for the energy company RWE, on request. They could stay there until they rebuilt their damaged house or found a new home.
Anja Kassenpecher (51) and her son Dennis (22) have been living in the Erkelenz district of Kuckum for a good week and a half. Their house in Ahrweiler (Rhineland-Palatinate), in which they rented, was completely destroyed by the flood and had to be torn down, says the mother. “We have nothing left.” Therefore, they are happy that they have now found accommodation for the next few months.
Furniture and other furnishings for the interim residents were mainly donated by private individuals and companies, reported RWE spokesman Steffen. At least for the time being, people would not have to pay any rental or electricity costs.
The houses are empty because the villages in the districts of Düren and Heinsberg have to give way to the opencast mine little by little. The residents are relocated, often all together in a newly built residential area. However, the resettlement has also met with strong criticism in the region.
Overall, the response to the offer to move to an almost deserted open-cast mining village has been low, says Steffen. “We received almost 200 rejections from families to whom we had suggested it.” For many people, however, the location was too remote and the way to work or school, for example, was too far. “We are still maintaining the offer.”
The fact that it is quite lonely in Kuckum – more than half of the houses are uninhabited – does not mind the Kassenpecher family. “First of all, it is important for us to relax – we had enough action,” says Antje Kassenpecher. In the long term, they would like to return to the Ahrweiler region, provided they can find affordable accommodation there.
More than 180 people were killed in the flood disaster in North Rhine-Westphalia and Rhineland-Palatinate in mid-July. Whole areas were devastated by the masses of water. The federal and state governments have launched a development fund that is supposed to provide aid of up to 30 billion euros. dpa
