The consequences of the storm in North Rhine-Westphalia cannot yet be overlooked. But many are already asking themselves: Has politics failed?
Düsseldorf – Flooded streets, full basements and evacuations: In North Rhine-Westphalia, the emergency services are still fighting the storm through the low “Bernd” *. Two firefighters died and people are still missing. The situation is particularly tense in the cities of Hagen and Wuppertal, where a dam overflowed. Several villages had to be evacuated near the Steinbach dam in Euskirchen.
North Rhine-Westphalia’s Prime Minister Armin Laschet * (CDU) will visit the Ruhr area city of Hagen, which is particularly affected by flooding, on Thursday (July 15, 2021), for which he canceled his visit to the CSU. It is unclear how it will be received in the disaster area. For years, warnings have been given about the dangers of the increasing number of extreme weather conditions.
Storm in North Rhine-Westphalia due to low “Bernd”: climate change cause of heavy rain
The fact that global warming is increasing storms and the associated heavy rain has long been evident from climate models. And the devastating consequences of heavy rain can currently be seen in Hagen. As the WDR now reports, the damage could be limited. The state and municipalities in North Rhine-Westphalia have also done a lot in this regard. The projects financed by the state government included flood protection systems, dike renovations and the restoration of bank landscapes on rivers and streams. They have also prepared for heavy rain by tackling risk analyzes and precautionary concepts.
But Dirk Jansen from the Association for the Environment and Nature Conservation Germany (BUND) in North Rhine-Westphalia is not enough, the WDR quotes the experts. Rather, the CDU *-led state government under Laschet missed a lot. Jansen criticizes that too little “natural areas have been created”. However, these are decisive for the absorption of water masses: “While the EU guidelines have been calling for all bodies of water to be brought to a near-natural state for twenty years, just eight percent in North Rhine-Westphalia now meet the criteria,” Jansen told WDR.
Storm in North Rhine-Westphalia due to low “Bernd”: Expert sees the Laschet government in North Rhine-Westphalia in complicity
Instead, the NRW government under Laschet had facilitated the construction of commercial areas and housing estates, with the result that the landscape could be “concreted over”. Many municipalities have identified potential floodplain areas as possible settlement areas, which is promoting the sealing of the area. “To give rivers their natural space back and to stop or reverse the sealing of the landscape”, these are “the order of the day”. (ktho with agencies) * fr.de is an offer from IPPEN.MEDIA.
