The storm disaster left enormous devastation. Many people are still missing. Now the clean-up begins.
Ahrweiler – “Here, that was my apartment,” says Michael Kossytorz from Ahrweiler in Rhineland-Palatinate. After days of heavy rain, the otherwise tranquil Ahr had turned into a huge river. “Here a raging river has emerged in the street.” His parents would have lived closer to the water. “They’re homeless now.”
The brown mud is everywhere, cars are wedged between half-torn walls, houses have collapsed in whole or in part. After the violent storms and floods in parts of Rhineland-Palatinate, North Rhine-Westphalia and Belgium, the colossal clean-up work has begun in the affected areas. Thousands of firefighters, soldiers and other helpers were on duty at the weekend, whether with brooms and shovels or heavy equipment.
Storm disaster: Ahrweiler district was one of the worst affected
The district of Ahrweiler in the Vulkaneifel in the north of Rhineland-Palatinate is one of the worst affected areas, 110 dead have been recovered there so far. Reliable information on how many people are still missing is initially not available on Sunday. Electricity and telephone networks are interrupted, and many people are unreachable.
The sidewalks are full of broken furniture, residents trudge through the streets in rubber boots, determined to begin the enormous cleanup. “There is still so much to do, and there is still no electricity,” complains Gregor Degen, baker in the spa town of Bad Neuenahr-Ahrweiler.
On Sunday, the number of deaths in North Rhine-Westphalia rose to 46, a spokeswoman for the NRW Interior Ministry announced. There, too, the authorities continued to refrain from providing information about missing people. The situation remained too confusing.
Erftstadt, south of Cologne, was hit particularly badly. The Erft had overflowed, washed away houses and caused landslides. Parts of a historic castle collapsed. The Bundeswehr moved in with tanks on Saturday to clear roads.
Ahrweiler after storm: “a nightmare”
“Many have lost everything that they have built up all their life,” said Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier during a visit on site. “We mourn with those who have lost friends, acquaintances or family members. Your fate tears our hearts apart. “
Chancellor Angela Merkel (CDU) visited the particularly affected Eifel village of Schuld together with the Rhineland-Palatinate Prime Minister Malu Dreyer (SPD) on Sunday. Almost everything there has been destroyed. “A nightmare,” complains Cornelia Schlösser and looks at the ruins of her family-run bakery.
Storm: Belgium hit hard too
Belgium was also hit hard by the storms, especially the region around Liège. By Saturday afternoon, 27 dead were confirmed and the Belgian crisis center announced a new number of missing persons: 103 people are unclear, a spokesman said. “We hope it’s only because we can’t reach them.”
If the water goes back, “we will probably find catastrophic situations”, warned the mayor of Liège, Christine Defraigne. The Meuse and numerous tributaries flow through the city and the province of the same name in eastern Belgium.
In Chaudfontaine it was the Vesdre that flooded houses, knocked down trees and covered the village with a layer of mud. There, the factory of the well-known chocolatier Galler fell victim to the masses of water. On Saturday, the smell of chocolate overshadowed the otherwise omnipresent modder smell.
There was no electricity yet. Switching it on again is the next step “to see whether the machines are still working,” said Gallers spokeswoman Valérie Stefenatto to AFP. The financial damage cannot yet be estimated, she added. After all, the warehouse of the chocolate manufacturer in Herstal, just under 15 kilometers away, was spared. (sot with afp)
