Reconstruction after the devastating flood disaster will take years. Anyone who has lost their house can count on help from the state. But how to get the money is not yet entirely clear.
Berlin – The federal government has launched the multi-billion dollar aid fund for the victims of the flood disaster.
Around 30 billion euros are to be paid out in the coming years for the reconstruction of houses, companies, roads, bridges and rails. 16 billion of this should flow this year, as the cabinet decided on Wednesday. The coalition factions of the Union and the SPD should bring a corresponding draft to the Bundestag in the coming week, and it should also be discussed quickly in the Bundesrat.
Devastation, missing, dead
Storms with unusually heavy rainfall triggered a flood disaster in Rhineland-Palatinate and North Rhine-Westphalia in mid-July. Whole areas of land were literally torn away or devastated by the masses of water. So far, around 190 deaths have been counted, and several people are still missing.
Vice Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) emphasized that the rapid removal of the damage and the reconstruction of the infrastructure now have top priority. “This is an immense feat of strength in view of the destruction in the regions affected by heavy rain and floods.” With combined forces, however, it can also be mastered.
THE DAMAGES: German insurers alone expect expenses of more than five billion euros and around 190,000 claims after the flood. Advances of around 700 million euros have already been paid out, as announced by the German Insurance Association (GDV). However, only a fraction of the flood victims were insured against such damage at all. The actual amount of damage will therefore be many times higher.
WHO GETS HOW MUCH MONEY: The construction aid for private households, farmers and companies is provided according to the draft, “as long as the damage is not covered by insurance or other third parties”. According to initial plans, homeowners should be reimbursed 80 percent of the costs that are necessary for the reconstruction of their destroyed buildings. In cases of hardship, it should also be possible to assume all costs.
However, these details are still being discussed and then regulated in an ordinance that the Federal Council must approve. It is also not yet clear how the money should be applied for and paid out.
The construction aid is granted in addition to the emergency aid that was decided in July, which should help to bridge acute emergencies immediately after the heavy rain and flood disaster. At that time, the federal government had already provided 400 million euros.
WHO PAYS HOW MUCH INTO THE FUND: The money for the development fund comes partly from the federal government and partly from the federal states. The federal government alone is responsible for two billion euros for the restoration of the federal infrastructure. The remaining 28 billion will be shared equally between the federal states and the federal government. However, the countries do not have to pay in their share immediately. First of all, the federal government pays out the money, then the states stutter half of their money from the federal government over a period of 30 years.
WHAT ELSE WAS DECIDED ON: The cabinet has also initiated the introduction of the so-called cell broadcast. In the event of emergencies or disasters, this means that warnings can be sent quickly, easily and precisely to all cell phones in a certain area. “The warning of the population has to work, on all channels,” emphasized Interior Minister Horst Seehofer (CSU). “If you are woken up at night, you have to know immediately what happened and how to behave.” The federal government also wants to make it easier to build temporary accommodation, schools, daycare centers and town halls in the event of a disaster.
The North Rhine-Westphalian state government welcomed the rapid implementation of the relief plans. Prime Minister and Union Chancellor candidate Armin Laschet (CDU) described it as “a strong sign of solidarity” that the federal government and the states are jointly launching the package. Now it is important to implement the resolutions as quickly as possible.
The trade praised the cabinet decision as an important signal of hope. In the disaster areas, it is now a matter of quickly securing the basic supply and starting with the reconstruction, explained association president Hans Peter Wollseifer. Aid should flow promptly and without bureaucratic pitfalls. dpa
