The natural disaster in western Germany is taking on ever greater proportions. The number of dead and injured is increasing, the situation remains critical. The willingness to donate is growing in the population.
Mainz / Cologne – The number of victims of the flood disaster in western Germany continues to rise. By Friday afternoon, 106 deaths had been counted – according to official information, at least 63 people were killed in Rhineland-Palatinate, and at least 43 in North Rhine-Westphalia.
In both federal states, many people were still missing, their exact number was unclear. Around 900 soldiers are currently helping to cope with the disaster. Saving human lives is in the foreground, but the Bundeswehr also provides support with “helping hands” and material, the armed forces base announced on Friday in Bonn.
Laschet: “A disaster of historic proportions”
Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier spoke of a tragedy. “That stunned me,” he said on Friday in Berlin. In his thoughts he was with the bereaved of the victims. “Your fate hits me in the heart.” Chancellor Angela Merkel (CDU) is considering an early visit to the disaster area in Rhineland-Palatinate. She is in talks with the state government about an early visit to the disaster area, as the spokesman for the federal government, Steffen Seibert, announced on Friday.
The North Rhine-Westphalian Prime Minister Armin Laschet (CDU) speaks of a “flood disaster of historic proportions”. It is to be feared that the number of victims will continue to rise. His colleague from Rhineland-Palatinate, Malu Dreyer (SPD), called the situation “still extremely tense in our state”. In Trier she added: “The suffering never ends.”
Dramatic situation in many places
In Erftstadt-Blessem, southwest of Cologne, massive landslides led to a dramatic situation on Friday. Craters formed in the ground. According to the latest information, three houses and part of the historic castle collapsed. The administration of the affected Rhein-Erft district has so far known a fatality from Erftstadt, a spokeswoman reported in the afternoon. But it is to be feared that there will be more victims. The responsible district administrator, Frank Rock, said on the television station ntv that 50 people had been rescued by boats. The tide came very quickly. Sinks would have been under water within ten minutes. There was hardly any time to warn people.
In the flooded areas, the rescue and clean-up work continued on Friday. At the same time, there were signs of some relaxation in some places with falling water levels. The Ministry of Defense triggered a military disaster alert because of the emergency. This means that decisions can be made more quickly by those responsible on site, explained a spokesman. Helicopters, clearing tanks, ambulances, boats, troop transport tanks and a ferry are currently in use. Emergency forces from other federal states also came to support on Friday.
Dreyer: “Federal aid needed to build up”
Rhineland-Palatinate provided 50 million euros as short-term support to repair damage to roads, bridges and other structures. Prime Minister Dreyer said on ZDF that federal aid was needed to rebuild the affected areas. According to the Ministry of Finance, the federal government wants to decide next week on construction aid for citizens and municipalities.
Laschet announced a multi-stage aid program for the victims of the storm disaster in North Rhine-Westphalia. “We will need great financial efforts,” said the Prime Minister and Union Chancellor candidate after the special session of the cabinet. The funds available up to now for emergency aid in the event of heavy rain events would “by far not be sufficient”. Talks about participation by the federal government have already started. The Chancellor called him and promised help, as did Finance Minister Olaf Scholz (SPD). That is an important signal, said Laschet. In addition to help in cases of hardship for private individuals and companies, structural aids for damaged roads and systems are necessary.
According to the Federal Office for Population and Disaster Control (BBK) in Bonn, 23 cities and districts are affected by floods in North Rhine-Westphalia. In Rhineland-Palatinate, the Ahrweiler district is the focus of the disaster, at least 362 people were injured here, as the police in Koblenz announced on Friday. In the village of Schuld an der Ahr alone, with 700 inhabitants, several houses were swept away by the masses of water and numerous other buildings, some severely damaged. There was also considerable damage in other regions of the Eifel as well as in the Trier-Saarburg district.
Willingness to donate in the population
In view of the enormous damage, the state government in Rhineland-Palatinate has set up a donation account for those affected. The chemical company BASF is donating one million euros to aid in the affected flood regions, while the Catholic archbishopric of Paderborn and Cologne announced that they will each donate 100,000 euros for flood victims. After a call by the city of Bonn to offer accommodation to people from flood areas, offers of help were received for more than 1,000 people affected.
In Baden-Württemberg, too, thunderstorms and floods troubled people. In some regions roads were again closed, in the Allgäu a residential area was under water. The German Weather Service (DWD) warned of heavy rain and thunderstorms, for example in Upper Swabia. The water level can rise quickly, especially in smaller bodies of water.
The State Office for the Environment of Rhineland-Palatinate reported in its early warning system by Saturday morning a low flood risk for almost the entire state. In the region around Altenahr and in parts of the Eifel, isolated floods are still possible. Falling water levels are expected in North Rhine-Westphalia, but this will sometimes only happen slowly. The water levels were often above the warning thresholds, for example at Erft, Ruhr, Rur, Sieg and Weser, according to the State Environment Agency.
On the Upper Rhine, the persistently strong flood will slow down the ships for several days, according to the Waterways and Shipping Office (WSA) in Freiburg. “According to the current situation, a release for shipping can only be expected from the beginning of next week,” said the authority on Friday. She looks after the waterway between Weil am Rhein on the border with Switzerland and the area between Mainz and Ginsheim (Hesse). Train traffic in North Rhine-Westphalia and Rhineland-Palatinate is still severely affected. According to Deutsche Bahn, numerous routes are completely closed or only accessible to a limited extent.
Floods also in Belgium and Switzerland
Germany’s neighboring countries are also struggling with floods. In Belgium, the storm killed 14 people, as reported by the Belga news agency. More than 20,000 people had no electricity at times. 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 the Netherlands, floods tore a hole in the dyke of a canal near Maastricht, and many people had to leave their homes. dpa
