NSeveral people died after severe storms and continuous rainfall in western Germany. On Thursday night, in the states of North Rhine-Westphalia and Rhineland-Palatinate, the creeks that broke through the banks turned into turbulent rivers, destroying many villages. The power outage paralyzed many areas.
You can read all current developments about floods and storms in the live blog here.
According to distribution network operator Westnetz, at least 200,000 people in North Rhine-Westphalia and Rhineland-Palatinate have lost power. The company said that for safety reasons, if water enters, the substation will be closed. A spokeswoman explained that some facilities could not be reached due to the flooding of the streets. “We are using all available resources.” The company supplies electricity to most parts of North Rhine-Westphalia and Rhineland-Palatinate, especially rural areas such as the Eifel.
In addition, the dam faces the threat of overflow. The water levels of the Rhine, Ruhr, Moselle and smaller rivers have also risen. Fire brigade, technical rescue organization (gross weight) And other rescuers have been using it. The amount of property damage is still unpredictable.
Maru Dreyer: “Really devastating”
Prime Minister of Rhineland-Palatinate Maru Dreyer At the beginning of the plenary meeting in Mainz, she said about the disaster that just happened: “Some people have died, some people are missing, and many people are still in danger.” She described this situation as “really devastating.” The whole place was flooded and the house just floated away. The police helicopter is on its way to the rooftop rescuers. The Bundeswehr is also helping about 200 soldiers. Dreyer said that many people are missing. It is unclear whether they can save themselves. Due to partial failure of cellular networks, it is difficult to reach them.
Eifel-Ort Schuld, nearly 70 people are missing, 6 houses collapsed and many houses are unstable. Those in need fled to the roof. This village of approximately 700 inhabitants is located near the border with North Rhine-Westphalia, on a ring of the Ahr River, which is usually a small river. Now Ahr has become a turbulent body of water. In the Erdorf district of Bitburg, the power of water can also be seen, with brown mud tumbling on the streets. In the aerial photos of Schuld, you can see parts of this place are almost flooded with rubble and mud. Photos of guilt, inhabited by approximately 660 people, witnessed the destruction.
The city of Kordel in the Trier Salburg area with approximately 2,000 residents could not be reached on Thursday flood Cut off all paths. A regional spokesperson said that people are now trying to reach residents with boats with the help of the Bundeswehr. A similar rescue operation took place on the Sauer River a few kilometers away.
Multiple deaths, including firefighters
According to Rhineland-Palatinate Interior Minister Roger Levenz (SPD), the death toll in northern Rhineland-Palatinate has risen to five. According to previous reports, they were all killed in floods in the Ahrweiler area. The minister added that 50 to 70 people are still missing in the disaster area. It is not clear whether these people may be on vacation, or whether they have found accommodations with acquaintances during the storm, or are in trouble.
A disaster alert was triggered in the area. Several houses and a bridge collapsed, and many buildings are in danger of collapsing. About 50 people arrived safely on the roof and had to be rescued.
In Märkisches Kreis, North Rhine-Westphalia, a firefighter died while rescuing a man who fell into the water. Another firefighter fell and died during the action. The local police explained that in Cologne, the two were found dead in a flooded cellar.
The city of Solingen in the Bergis region was also hit hard. According to the police, the Unterburg area was blocked due to flooding and 600 people had to leave their homes and check into hotels. Rescuers rescued a man from the cellar shaft. Police said he died on the way to the hospital. Many streets in the Westphalian city of Hagen were also flooded. An old man had to be evacuated.This Armed forces Use rubber dinghy to rescue workers from industrial area. They were trapped in the water for more than 18 hours.
Therefore, the weather will continue to develop in the coming days.
Bahn warns against going to North Rhine-Westphalia
Deutsche Bahn urges passengers to postpone their journey to and from North Rhine-Westphalia as much as possible. For example, extreme rainfall flooded the track and operating facilities were damaged. In many places, storm damage can only be recorded when the water mass is lost. Local traffic in North Rhine-Westphalia was severely damaged, and the main routes Cologne-Wuppertal-Hagen-Dortmund and Cologne-Koblenz were impassable via Bonn.
The Rhineland-Palatinate government has pledged to provide support to the affected areas. The Minister of the Interior Roger Lewentz said the state government is on the side of those facing the ruins of survival. “This storm has hit our country badly. I am worried about everyone who is in danger,” said Prime Minister Maru Dreyer. “I want to thank all the helpers, fire brigade and emergency service personnel who fought against the water regiment with great dedication.”
