Less than a week after the flood disaster, the hope of being able to save the living is diminishing among the professional helpers. In the Ahrweiler district alone, 155 people are still missing.
Berlin – The Vice President of the Technical Relief Organization (THW), Sabine Lackner, sees little chance of finding survivors just under a week after the floods in western Germany.
“We are currently still looking for missing people, for example when clearing the paths or pumping out the basement,” she told the editorial network Germany (RND). “At this point, however, it is unfortunately very likely that you can only rescue victims, not save them.”
At least 170 dead
The number of flood deaths had risen to at least 170 within a week by Tuesday. 122 deaths from storms were confirmed from Rhineland-Palatinate and 48 from North Rhine-Westphalia. People were still missing on Tuesday – 155 in the particularly affected district of Ahrweiler in the north of Rhineland-Palatinate. Around 40,000 people there were considered to have been affected by the consequences of the devastating floods and floods.
THW Vice Lackner warned against the quick assignment of blame, according to which a better warning system could have prevented deaths. “Of course we will have to work through the processes. But I find this debate unfortunate three or four days after the disaster. ”She advised against“ speaking of failure now and looking for the guilty ”. Many people are still standing in front of the ruins of their livelihoods, and many support measures are still in progress.
Dreyer visits the crisis area again
In the future, more tried and tested alarm systems will be needed, says Lackner. “Why not use loudspeakers to warn you on the street, for example if a bomb is found? Many sirens have also been abolished in recent years;
Meanwhile, in the regions of the flood disaster, cleanup work and damage assessments are continued. As the State Chancellery in Mainz announced, the Rhineland-Palatinate Prime Minister Malu Dreyer wants to get an idea in Nürburg (Eifel). The SPD politician is expected at the Nürburgring. The paddock of the traditional racetrack serves these days as a center for the provision of helpers.
More than 6.2 million euros in private donations
The Mainz state government had decided on emergency aid of up to 3500 euros per household for those affected by the disaster in Rhineland-Palatinate. The state chancellery announced that the money should be paid out via the district administrations as quickly as possible without a means test. In addition, more than 6.2 million euros in private donations were received on the state government’s donation account. The money is to be distributed through district administrations.
On Tuesday, Chancellor Angela Merkel (CDU) visited the flood areas for the second time in a few days and promised those affected unbureaucratic emergency aid. Everything will be done to “ensure that the money gets to the people quickly,” she said in the badly damaged city of Bad Münstereifel (North Rhine-Westphalia). “I hope that will be a matter of days.”
Massive damage to infrastructure
The damage to the infrastructure is becoming more and more apparent – with destroyed roads, railroad tracks, bridges, cell phone masts, electricity, gas and water lines. According to the Deutsche Bahn, the water masses damaged seven regional routes 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.
After quite summery days brought by Hoch “Dana”, the German Weather Service (DWD) is expecting the next weather change at the weekend. From night to Saturday, according to the information, increasingly changeable weather with locally strong showers and thunderstorms will prevail again from the southwest. dpa
