The extreme flooding in the Ahr Valley killed at least 134 people. A committee of the state parliament in Rhineland-Palatinate is investigating the background. Churches also commemorate the victims.
Bad Neuenahr-Ahrweiler – One year after the deadly Ahr flood, parliamentary work on the disaster continues. On Friday (8.30 a.m.) the committee of inquiry into the flood disaster of the Rhineland-Palatinate state parliament will meet again in Mainz.
A witness from the private environment of the then District Administrator is expected. On the day of the flash flood, she had called the CDU politician several times and communicated via SMS. Now the MPs hope that it will help clarify the question of where the district administrator was on July 14, 2021. This question could not be fully clarified in 22 sessions.
The penultimate meeting before the summer break is primarily about the situation center of the State Ministry of the Interior on the night of the flood. In addition, representatives of several police stations are heard. This also involves working with the technical operations management team.
At least 134 people were killed by the flood disaster on July 14th and 15th, 2021 in the Ahr Valley – a year later, a decentralized commemoration is planned for Friday. According to the Ahrweiler district administration, the church bells should ring in many places in the evening (6 p.m.) “as a sign of shared sadness and hope”.
Human chains and memorial events planned
Human chains are also planned in various communities, as well as meetings offered by the churches. At an ecumenical service in Ahrbrück (4 p.m.), the Catholic Bishop of Trier, Stephan Ackermann, and the President of the Evangelical Church in the Rhineland, Thorsten Latzel, are expected in a meadow.
The central commemoration event for the Ahr Valley was on the program on Thursday evening in Bad Neuenahr-Ahrweiler. Thousands of houses were also devastated in the flooding after extreme heavy rain. Numerous flood victims still live in alternative quarters. The reconstruction is dragging on in many places.
Two more missing
At least 135 people in northern Rhineland-Palatinate were killed in the flood – 134 in the Ahr Valley and one man in the Eifel. Two people are still missing. In Rhineland-Palatinate, the center of Trier-Ehrang was affected in addition to the Ahr Valley and many areas of the Eifel; there the flood of the Kyll damaged many houses.
Another 49 people died in the flood in North Rhine-Westphalia. There, too, an investigative committee of the state parliament is working on omissions by the authorities and gaps in civil protection.
A year ago, extreme weather also triggered flooding in other European countries, particularly in Belgium. According to EU Commission Vice President Frans Timmermans, more than 220 people died because of the flood. dpa
