Three weeks later Catastrophic flooding in western Germany The devastated communities have claimed at least 187 lives. The affected people call on the government to increase efforts to rescue houses and businesses.
More than 20 people remained unaccounted for after the disaster. Heavy rain caused dozens of rivers to burst their banks, and a large number of houses, roads and bridges were destroyed.
In an appeal to the Berlin central government, the mayors of the area called for the appointment of a reconstruction inspector to oversee efforts to get the community back on its feet.
“We are very grateful for the help we have received from all over the world so far, but this is only the beginning of this effort,” said Cornelia Weigand, the mayor of a municipal association in Altena. Weigander said that the affected communities would like to know that reconstruction efforts will not fade in a few weeks or be used politically before the election next month. She said that any transition at the central government level should not hinder reconstruction. “We need foresight, otherwise people are in danger of losing their faith.”
Thousands of households still have no running water or electricity. The unusually cool August and the prospect of further drops in temperature as autumn approaches, add to the sense of urgency. A team of soldiers and a national rescue team, THW, were called to help. They are continuing to demolish the destroyed buildings and support other buildings that are close to collapse, trying to keep rats and other pests out, and to ensure that the contaminated water is not contaminated. Will be contaminated. Lead to a public health crisis.
The German Red Cross is active in the region, providing more than 10,000 hot meals a day.
The debate over whether the warning issued on the night of the July 14 flood was sufficient continues. Federal, state and local officials are facing legal action by some activists who say the warning is not communicated to residents urgently enough. The German Meteorological Service (DWD) has also been criticized for seemingly unaware of the potential consequences of heavy rainfall for several days.
At the same time, the state prosecutor in Koblenz has begun a manslaughter investigation, collecting police reports and media reports to assess whether people are likely to die unnecessarily, especially the 12 residents of a nursing facility in Sinzig.
Homemade thank you banners were hung on buildings in the affected areas, expressing people’s gratitude to the volunteers who tried to clean their homes. These volunteers came from thousands of volunteers from all over Germany and neighboring Netherlands. From emptying the sludge in the cellar to collecting destroyed family property and dumping it in designated dumps, and distributing food, drinks and clothes, they are all helping.
Volunteer fire brigades from all over Germany have joined this effort and continue to send members to help with the salvage operation, as do builders, skilled craftsmen and repairers.
A roofer in Lahnstein, Rhineland-Palatinate, where many communities have been affected, issued a national appeal to his colleagues. On Wednesday, workers from more than 100 companies appeared at the designated assembly point. They drove a convoy into the affected Ahr Valley, and their vans and trucks were filled with drain pipes, downspouts, tarpaulins and other construction materials.
“We want to send a signal to the people in the area that it is not only being dragged out of the filth of the valley, but also being rebuilt,” Bernd Krinninger, who initiated the volunteer work, told the broadcaster Südwestrundfunk. Roofers are now repairing the roof, strengthening beams and rafters, and repairing the drainage system.
“We cannot do it without the help of these volunteers,” said Waltraut Schütz from Mayschoß. On the night of the flood, her home was flooded to the ceiling of the second floor. The family was forced to hide under the roof for a few days before being evacuated. She said the cost of repairing the big hole in the roof is estimated at 25,000 euros (£21,000).
The insurance company had to send hundreds of agents to assess the loss, because most people had no electricity and therefore no internet connection to allow them to send documents digitally.
This week, the government pledged to prevent tens of thousands of companies affected by the flood from having to declare bankruptcy. In the next few days, despite the summer recess, members of Congress are expected to return to Parliament to vote on the emergency suspension of the bankruptcy law. Attorney General Christine Lambrecht stated that the decision was based on experience gained during the pandemic, when similar rules were applied to companies that were financially healthy before the lockdown and helped prevent a wave of The tide of bankruptcy.
At the same time, as millions of euros in donations continue to reach the affected areas, vintners in the area known for Pinot Noir (or Spätburgunder) wines have also launched their own activities.They are auctioning Flood wine (Flood Wine)—tens of thousands of mud bottles were pulled from their cellars—to raise funds for dozens of vineyard owners whose livelihoods were destroyed.
