- There was heavy rain in western Germany in two days last week.
- 165 people have been confirmed dead.
- Experts say that because a warm atmosphere can hold more water, climate change will increase the risk and intensity of floods caused by extreme rainfall.
On Monday, the death toll from Germany’s worst flooding in history rose to 165 as the emergency services continued to search the destroyed town for dozens of people who are still unaccounted for.
Two days last week, western Germany suffered heavy rains. Floods washed the streets, washed away trees, cars and shacks, and destroyed large tracts of houses.
Many victims were found dead in the drenched cellar after trying to retrieve valuables, while others were swept away by the tremendous force of water.
Emergency personnel have been dispatched to assess damaged buildings, remove debris and restore natural gas, electricity and telephone services.
In some areas, the police deployed speedboats and divers to salvage the bodies.
Read here | The video captures cars floating on a flooded street in Belgium as heavy rain hit the area
A police spokesperson told AFP that a total of 117 people have been confirmed to have died in Rhineland-Palatinate, 47 of whom died in the neighboring states of North Rhine-Westphalia and Bavaria.
German Interior Minister Horst Seehofer and North Rhine-Westphalia Governor Armin Laschet, who succeeded Angela Merkel as the prime minister ) Will visit Yuskirchen, one of the worst-hit towns on Monday.
On Sunday, Merkel visited the town of Schulder, calling the destruction “shocking” and calling on the world to speed up its efforts to tackle the climate crisis.
The disaster has pushed climate change to the top of Germany’s agenda before September 26, which will mark the end of Merkel’s 16 years in power.
Experts say that because a warm atmosphere can hold more water, climate change will increase the risk and intensity of floods caused by extreme rainfall.
Read also | As the death toll soars, Europe picks up rubble from the flood
In recent days, heavy rains have also hit southern Germany as well as Belgium, Switzerland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Austria.
At least 31 people have died in Belgium.
The high death toll has also brought Germany’s weather warning system under scrutiny and whether people in the danger zone have been notified early.
