Interior Minister Horst Seehofer speaks of an “incredible tragedy” during a visit to the flood area on the Ahr. Reconstruction is likely to cost billions.
Bad Neuenahr-Ahrweiler – Federal Interior Minister Horst Seehofer (CSU) showed himself affected during a visit to the disaster area in the north of Rhineland-Palatinate.
“We are experiencing an incredible tragedy these days,” he said in Bad Neuenahr-Ahrweiler, which was hard hit by the floods. “In a long political life with many catastrophes in Bavaria with water and snow, I have never seen anything like it,” said the minister.
It is an exceptional situation, “which, even with all our efforts on site, we can only cope with a major national effort”. Accompanied by Federal Agriculture Minister Julia Klöckner (CDU) and the Rhineland-Palatinate Interior Minister Roger Lewentz (SPD), Seehofer also got an impression of aid operations such as the installation of mobile drinking water systems by the Technical Relief Organization (THW).
THW ensures clean drinking water
In order to help the local people, the THW helpers in the Eifel community provide clean drinking water. “The large-scale floods have destroyed the infrastructure, in many places – such as in the city center of Bad Neuenahr-Ahrweiler – there is no drinking water,” said a spokesman for the THW. Two drinking water treatment plants have been set up there: They can treat 30,000 liters of water per hour and thus supply thousands of people in the region, he said.
During the course of Monday, clean water should be given to citizens, and from Tuesday it should also be fed into the hospital network. In addition to the two systems, another system in the village of Schuld provides clean drinking water. In addition, there is another fourth system on standby: “We’re currently looking at where we are going to build it,” said the spokesman.
Seehofer expects costs in the billions
Seehofer estimates the cost of the reconstruction at several billion euros. “This is an exceptional situation that we can only cope with with all our efforts on site in a major national effort.”
After the devastating storm in southeast Bavaria, a flood disaster was also feared in Passau – but the situation has now eased.
In the morning the water level of the Danube in Passau was 8.19 meters and thus below the highest flood warning level of 8.5 meters. The Inn is also not a cause for concern at the moment. Individual areas of the city were flooded. Fortunately, one is still far from catastrophic conditions, said a police spokesman in the morning. The fire brigade expects that the clean-up work can begin in the evening or on Tuesday at the latest.
Even in the Berchtesgadener Land, which was particularly badly hit by storms, people could breathe a sigh of relief. “The night passed quietly,” said the fire department. The helpers are busy cleaning up. The weather outlook also gives cause for hope. Except for a few short showers, it should stay dry in the coming days. Storms are currently not in sight, said a meteorologist from the German Weather Service (DWD).
Precious location in the Bertesgadener Land
The situation in the Berchtesgadener Land was particularly dramatic at the weekend. The river Ache had overflowed its banks and turned into a torrent. Water also shot down from the mountains into the valley. Houses were full of water, some even threatened to collapse. Slopes slipped, parts of roads collapsed, railroad tracks were buried or flooded. More than 160 people had to be brought from their homes to safety in the holiday region around the Königssee.
Other rivers also swelled, for example the Loisach near Schlehdorf in Upper Bavaria in the Bad Tölz-Wolfratshausen district or the Isar in Munich. However, it was not dramatic. In Neuburg an der Donau, the flood just exceeded reporting level 3 at 4.63 meters.
After the major floods, the situation in the Netherlands is also easing. The high water levels in the rivers in the south of the country are now falling quickly, according to the authorities on Monday. The authorities said that the greatest danger to citizens has disappeared. Residents from Venlo near the German border, who had to leave their homes as a precaution, were able to return there.
However, the authorities urge vigilance. The dykes could be damaged by the large masses of water. As soon as the water has sunk, they should be specially checked for weak points. dpa
