Bavaria and Saxony are now also affected by the storm. In the west the water level is falling. The all-clear cannot yet be given. The news ticker for all of Germany.
- Construction work begins in Rhineland-Palatinate and North Rhine-Westphalia
- Numerous people are still missing in the flood rubble.
- On Saturday evening, storms also caused flooding in Bavaria and Saxony
- Olaf Scholz announced financial aid in the billions on Sunday.
Söder affected at Königssee: Nobody is left alone
Update from July 18, 5:30 p.m.: Also in Bavaria, Prime Minister Markus Söder (CSU) has promised help and support to the people affected by the flood. “We don’t leave anyone alone, certainly not,” said Söder on Sunday afternoon in Schönau am Koenigssee. Regardless of the prospect of federal aid, Bavaria will also consider how to help. “We mourn for all the victims, we pray with the relatives, we wish all those who are still affected all the best,” said Söder. He also thanked the rescue workers who did superhuman efforts.
Erftstadt: “I was totally exhausted” – man slept through landslides
Update from July 18, 3:53 p.m.: Erftstadt is one of the areas hardest hit by the floods. As the weather slowly improves, more and more individual stories and fates become known. This is also the case with Bernd Dudeck: His house is right on the edge of the slide where several houses were torn away in a landslide. He was only woken up in the morning and hadn’t noticed the landslide that night. He was completely at the end of the night before, the floods that came into his house. His basement with his office was under water, and water came through the windows.
“Several times there was creaking in the roof beams. Lots of homeowners are familiar with this, there is a brief crack and then it is quiet again. But this time was different. The creak lasted ten, fifteen seconds. As if the whole house was moving. It was then clear to me that something bad was going on, ”the man is quoted as saying on Focus Online. In the meantime, he was staying with friends and worried about his currently uninhabited house, which he had to leave within just 20 minutes.
Storms and floods in Germany: the death toll in RLP and NRW is more than 150
First report: Koblenz / Bonn – people stand in front of the ruins of their existence, clear the destroyed remains of the storm with all their might. In the worst flood disaster in Germany for decades, countless houses were destroyed in Rhineland-Palatinate and North Rhine-Westphalia. Bridges, roads and railways lie in rubble and mud.
Four days after the start of the devastating catastrophe, the death toll in the hardest hit federal states of North Rhine-Westphalia and Rhineland-Palatinate has risen to more than 150. According to the police, at least 110 people were killed and 670 injured in the Ahrweiler district alone. In North Rhine-Westphalia, the number of confirmed fatalities by Sunday was 45, including four firefighters.
Flood disaster in Germany: Search for missing persons continues – no all-clear yet
The emergency services are still looking for the dead and injured, so that the number of victims could increase even further. In Rhineland-Palatinate, the search for missing persons in the air continues. Helicopters have taken aerial photographs of the affected area. The search of the entire site should be completed on Sunday by nightfall.
While the water masses are slowly retreating in both federal states, the situation remains tense. Although no further storms have been announced, there is still a risk of new landslides or dam bursts as a result of the disaster.
Flood catastrophe in North Rhine-Westphalia: Further danger from a dam breach and crater
This is also the case in Erftstadt near Cologne, here too many people are looking for their relatives in the rubble. (95 missing as of Sunday, 12 noon). The Blessem district is also of concern. A huge crater was created here by the floods. At least three houses and part of the castle collapsed. Experts should check the stability of the underground on Sunday.
Also at Euskirchen an der Steinbachtalsperre southwest of Bonn in North Rhine-Westphalia no all-clear can be given. The dam threatens to break here. So far, the water has been draining more slowly than hoped. Water is drained from the dam to relieve pressure from the dam.
Olaf Scholz promises financial aid for flood areas: billions are at stake
But even when these dangers have been removed, a huge challenge awaits West Germany: reconstruction. Federal Finance Minister * Olaf Scholz (SPD *) promised emergency aid in the three-digit million range on Sunday. “It takes a national show of strength,” he told the Bild newspaper. The SPD politician referred to past crises and announced emergency aid and the basis of a development program. It would be billions.
Severe storms in Bavaria and Saxony: floods, floods and landslides
While residents, fire brigade, police and rescue workers in the west of the country are still struggling with the consequences of the flood, the storm also hit parts of Bavaria and Saxony on Saturday evening. Heavy rain caused flooding in the Berchtesgadener Land * as well as in neighboring Austria. Operations manager Anton Brandner spoke of dramatic scenes. Images of a torrent through an Austrian city center * caused a sensation. Two people were killed in Bavaria. According to the district, one victim died of a natural cause.
In parts of Saxony, too, immense rainfall caused floods and landslides. Locally, more than 100 liters per square meter fell within 24 hours. In Saxon Switzerland, several localities of cities and municipalities were temporarily inaccessible. (vs / dpa) * Merkur.de is an offer from IPPEN.MEDIA
List of rubric lists: © Thomas Frey
