Due to severe flooding, more than 60 people died on Thursday and dozens of others were missing Germany Belgium turned streams and streets into turbulent torrents, washed away cars and caused houses to collapse.
Recent storms in some areas Western Europe It caused rivers and reservoirs to burst, and after the saturated soil was unable to absorb more water, flash floods broke out overnight.
“I feel sad for those who lost their lives in this disaster,” German Chancellor Angela Merkel said during a visit to Washington, expressing shock at the extent of the flooding. “We still don’t know this number. But it will be a lot.”
She promised to make every effort to find people who are still missing, adding: “‘Heavy rain and flood’ does not record what happened.”
Authorities in North Rhine-Westphalia state that at least 30 people have died, while in the southern state of Rhineland-Palatinate 28 people have died. Belgian media reported the death of eight people in the country.
One of the worst-hit villages in Germany is Schulder, where several houses collapsed and dozens of people are missing.
The Eiffel is a volcanic area composed of rolling hills and small valleys. Rescue operations have been hampered by road blockages, telephone and Internet interruptions. Some villages were razed to the ground because the old brick-and-wood houses could not withstand the sudden currents of water, which often carried trees and other debris when it gushed from the narrow streets.
Karl Heinz Green, who came to help his parents in Schulder, said that he had never seen the Little Al River surging in such a deadly torrent.
“This night, it’s like crazy,” he said.
Dozens of people had to be rescued from the roof using inflatable boats and helicopters. Hundreds of soldiers were deployed to assist rescue efforts.
The governor of the Rhineland-Palatinate state, Malu Dreyer, told the regional council: “Some people are dead, some are missing, and many others are in danger.” “We have never seen such a disaster. This is really devastating.”
The US European Command stated that the 52nd Civil Engineer Squadron and several volunteers from Spangdahlem Air Force Base in the US filled and distributed hundreds of sandbags to help protect families and businesses in the area.
In Belgium, the Vesdre River overflowed its banks, causing water to tumble on the Pepinster street near Liège, where a small boat capsized, three elderly people were missing, and firefighters’ rescue operations were problematic.
“Unfortunately, they were quickly swallowed,” Mayor Philip Godin said. “I’m afraid they are dead.”
In Verviers, the prosecutor’s office stated that it had found several bodies, but could not confirm local media reports that four people were killed there.
The main highways in the south and east of the country were flooded, and the railway said all trains were out of service.
In Liège, a city with a population of 200,000, the Meuse River flooded on Thursday, and the mayor asked people living nearby to move to a higher place.
European Commission President Ursula von der Lein promised to help. Pope Francis extended his condolences to him. His office said that the Pope is praying for those who are injured and missing and those who have lost their livelihoods.
The full extent of the loss is still unclear, and many villages have been cut off by floods and landslides, making roads impassable. Videos on social media showed cars floating on the street and houses partially collapsed. Many of the dead were only discovered after the flood subsided.
Fearing that the dam might burst, authorities in the Rhein-Sieg county south of Cologne ordered the evacuation of several villages under the Steinbach reservoir.
Two firefighters were killed in a rescue operation in Germany’s most populous state of North Rhine-Westphalia. Governor Armin Laschet paid tribute to them and promised to help quickly.
“We don’t know the extent of the loss yet, but we will not leave the community and the people affected,” he said during a visit to the flooded city of Hagen.
Raschelt is a conservative who will succeed Merkel as prime minister in the elections this fall. He said that the unusually violent storms and earlier heat waves may be related to climate change. The political opposition criticized the miner’s son Rashet for supporting the coal industry in the region and hindering the expansion of wind power during his tenure.
Stefan Rahmstorf, professor of marine physics at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, said that it is not yet clear whether the extreme rainfall in Germany is a direct result of planetary warming.
“But it can be said that due to global warming, such incidents are becoming more frequent,” he told the Associated Press, noting that warmer air can absorb more water vapor and eventually fall in the form of rain.
Two firefighters were killed in a rescue operation in Germany’s most populous state of North Rhine-Westphalia. Governor Armin Laschet paid tribute to them and promised to help quickly.
“We don’t know the extent of the loss yet, but we will not leave the community and the people affected,” he said during a visit to the flooded city of Hagen.
Raschelt is a conservative who will succeed Merkel as prime minister in the elections this fall. He said that the unusually violent storms and earlier heat waves may be related to climate change. The political opposition criticized the miner’s son Rashet for supporting the coal industry in the region and hindering the expansion of wind power during his tenure.
Stefan Rahmstorf, professor of marine physics at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, said that it is not yet clear whether the extreme rainfall in Germany is a direct result of planetary warming.
“But it can be said that due to global warming, such incidents are becoming more frequent,” he told the Associated Press, noting that warmer air can absorb more water vapor and eventually fall in the form of rain.
“Now you can clearly see the increase in heavy rain and the decrease in the number of weak rain days in the observational data, especially in the mid-north latitudes including Germany,” Ramstorf said.
He added that the weakening of the atmospheric circulation in summer, leading to longer duration weather patterns such as heat waves or continuous rainfall may also play a role.
Late Thursday, rainfall across Germany decreased, although the water levels of the Moselle and Rhine are expected to continue to rise.
In the Netherlands, King William-Alexander and Queen Maxima visited the hard-hit Dutch town of Valkenburg on Thursday night to support residents and emergency services. The flood turned the main street into a brown torrent, flooding homes and businesses.
Late Wednesday, the Dutch government sent about 70 soldiers to the southern province of Limburg to help evacuate and fill sandbags.
Due to the threat of flooding, thousands of people in Maastricht and other villages along the Maas River were ordered to evacuate on Thursday night and shelter centers were set up to house them. Maas is the Dutch name for the Meuse River.
In northeastern France, heavy rain flooded vegetable fields, many houses and the World War I Museum in Romagne-sous-Montfaucon. According to local firefighters, firefighters evacuated people from campsites around the town of Fresnes-en-Woevre. Some towns canceled the Bastille Day fireworks display.
According to the Oriental Republic, the Ayre River has risen to its highest water level in 30 years in some areas.
According to data from the French National Meteorological Agency, two days of rainfall is equivalent to two months of rainfall, and flood warnings have been issued in 10 regions. There were no reports of casualties, but forecasters warned of mudslides and more rain on Friday.
— Associated Press writer Ralph Casset in Brussels, Angela Charlton in Paris and Mike Cord in The Hague contributed.
© 2021 Canadian Press
