It has been almost a week since the floods took away thousands of people’s loved ones, their belongings, or their entire livelihoods. The federal government has now decided to take immediate action.
Berlin – Less than a week after the flood disaster began in western Germany, hopes of finding survivors in the affected areas are fading.
“We are currently still looking for missing people, for example when clearing the paths or pumping out the cellars,” said the Vice President of the Technical Relief Organization (THW), Sabine Lackner, the editorial network Germany (RND). “At this point, however, it is unfortunately very likely that you can only rescue victims, not save them.”
According to the assessment of the German Red Cross in Rhineland-Palatinate, psychological care is now also coming to the fore in the disaster area. More than 160 specialists among the approximately 3,000 DRK emergency services from 14 regional associations are currently taking care of emergency psychosocial care in the affected areas in Rhineland-Palatinate, as announced by the board of directors of the DRK regional association, Manuel Gonzalez. They are supported by church pastors.
There is a great need of the people in the disaster area to talk about the suffering they have experienced, said the Red Cross helper Dietmar Breininger from Ludwigshafen. “On site we meet people who have lost everything. We meet a mother who has just lost her husband. ”The forces also help people identify relatives and show them ways of saying goodbye. “I’ve been with the Red Cross for over 30 years,” said Breininger. “I couldn’t have imagined that something like this would happen in Germany.”
People are still missing
According to previous knowledge, at least 169 people were killed in the flood disaster. People were still missing – 155 of them in the particularly affected district of Ahrweiler in the north of Rhineland-Palatinate.
On the other hand, a sigh of relief in the Rhein-Erft district, which has been severely affected by the flooding. There are no more people missing because of the storm. Police said five people who were still missing have been identified since Tuesday. According to previous knowledge, no one in the district was killed in the disaster and there were no other missing persons. “The people are doing well under the circumstances,” said police spokesman Thomas Held.
Infrastructure often completely destroyed
The infrastructure has been completely destroyed in many places: roads, railroad tracks, bridges, cell phone masts, electricity, gas and water lines are all affected. According to Deutsche Bahn, the water masses damaged seven regional lines in North Rhine-Westphalia and Rhineland-Palatinate so badly that they have to be rebuilt or extensively renovated. Tracks on around 600 kilometers are affected.
As a spokesman for the federal motorway company said, around 90 kilometers of motorway in the Rhineland are affected by flood damage. These are damage of varying severity. Even sections that look intact after the water has drained may not be released immediately. “We must first check whether the subsoil is stable,” said the spokesman.
When the repair work, for example on the heavily damaged Autobahn 61, could not yet be foreseen. The A61 is fully closed in both directions between the crosses Meckenheim and Kerpen. In some cases, there was no lane at all, said the spokesman. Extensive renovation measures are required.
“It won’t fail because of money”
The federal government decided on Wednesday to provide emergency aid of initially 200 million euros. The countries concerned are to contribute funds in the same amount, so that a total of up to 400 million euros is available. Finance Minister Olaf Scholz (SPD) made it clear that the federal government would make more money available if necessary. “It will not fail because of money,” emphasized Interior Minister Horst Seehofer (CSU). “People pay taxes for getting help in such situations.”
A construction fund worth billions is also planned. The construction will take years, said Scholz. The exact amount of the fund should only be decided when the extent of the damage can be better foreseen. dpa
