At least 70 people have died in the flood disaster so far. More victims are to be feared – the number of missing persons is high. Merkel does not want to “leave those affected alone”.
Koblenz / Düsseldorf – The masses of water literally roll through the streets, entire places sink into brown waters. What most people in Germany only knew from far away is suddenly very close.
At least 80 people have so far been killed in the flood disaster in western Germany. More fatalities are to be feared – around 1,300 people are missing in the Bad Neuenahr-Ahrweiler district in North Rhine-Westphalia alone.
In Rhineland-Palatinate, the number of deaths in the early morning rose to 50. “The fear is that there will be more,” said a spokesman for the Koblenz police headquarters.
In North Rhine-Westphalia, the Ministry of the Interior reports 30 dead and 57 injured in the evening. In the particularly affected district of Bad Neuenahr-Ahrweiler, a spokeswoman points out that many people cannot be reached because of the paralyzed mobile network. “We hope that will be cleared up,” she says of the high number of missing people.
Rurtalsperre in NRW overflows
And although the violent storms are over, the danger is not averted: The Rur dam in North Rhine-Westphalia has been overflowing since shortly before midnight, “with little dynamism,” as the Eifel-Rur Water Association (WVER) reports. As a result, floods and flooding of houses and cellars are to be expected in the lower reaches of the Rur.
The water association warns that people should not stay near the river as there is a risk of being carried away. Also, basements that are full should not be entered because there is a risk of electric shocks. Evacuations are to be expected in areas particularly affected by floods.
In the severely affected district of Euskirchen in North Rhine-Westphalia, an expert is to take another look at the Steinbach dam on Friday. The water level had dropped on Thursday evening due to pumping. The process water dam, the dam of which has deep furrows, was classified by an expert as “very unstable” the day before. Therefore, several villages were evacuated for security reasons. Around 4,500 residents were affected.
900 soldiers in the disaster areas
Meanwhile, the rescue workers are continuing their search for missing people. The Bundeswehr has now sent around 900 soldiers to the disaster areas in North Rhine-Westphalia and Rhineland-Palatinate to provide support.
The Federal Office for Civil Protection and Disaster Assistance (BBK) also supports the affected regions with satellite images, among other things. “The first satellite images from the areas affected by the storm have been recorded this morning. These images will be made available to those involved in crisis management as soon as they are available, ”says Vice President Thomas Herzog of the editorial network Germany.
The BBK also takes care of the coordination of aid, for example helicopters to rescue people or tapping points for the delivery of drinking water.
Merkel pledges help
The damage caused by the water masses is immense in both countries. The state of Rhineland-Palatinate is providing 50 million euros as short-term support to repair damage to roads, bridges and other structures. According to Agriculture Minister Julia Klöckner (CDU), the federal government is also planning an aid program.
During her visit to the USA, Chancellor Merkel assured those affected: “We will not leave you alone in this difficult, terrible hour and will also help when it comes to reconstruction.” inform the situation in the flood areas.
Green leader Robert Habeck is in favor of setting up an aid fund. “I would think it would be right if we now set up an aid fund very quickly, as was the case in 2013 after the great Elbe flood,” he tells the “Welt”. “We have to help people in such an emergency situation quickly and unbureaucratically, and part of the money for this has to come from the federal budget.”
SPD leader Norbert Walter-Borjans tells the German Press Agency that people who fear for their financial existence need clarity quickly. Clean-up work and reconstruction can only be achieved with great solidarity.
Special session on aid
The North Rhine-Westphalian cabinet is holding a special meeting today to discuss the situation and help the affected communities. Prime Minister Armin Laschet (CDU) says in the ZDF program “maybrit illner” that ways must be found to get roads, bridges and other infrastructure going again very quickly. The country will help, but “a great national effort is also needed so that the worst things can be eliminated quickly”.
The Rhineland-Palatinate Prime Minister Malu Dreyer (SPD) wants to find out more about the situation in her hometown in Trier that morning. Because of the strong flooding in the Moselle tributary Kyll, thousands of people in Trier and the surrounding area had been brought to safety, and a hospital had to be evacuated. At all authorities in Rhineland-Palatinate the flags are set at half-mast today.
Neighboring countries are also struggling with floods
Germany’s neighboring countries are also struggling with floods. In Switzerland, river levels rose sharply after heavy rainfall. According to the Keystone-sda news agency, swollen streams flooded the villages of Schleitheim and Beggingen in the canton of Schaffhausen. Masses of water flowed through streets, into cellars, carried away vehicles and destroyed smaller bridges.
In Belgium, people from some communities were taken to safety along the Meuse as a preventive measure. dpa
