BNon-president Frank-Walter Steinmeier Express condolences to the people affected by the flood disaster. “We mourn those who have lost friends, acquaintances or family members. Your fate breaks our hearts,” Steinmeier said on Saturday afternoon when he visited Erftstadt, a particularly affected town west of Cologne. There he talked with the Prime Minister of North Rhine-Westphalia, Amin Raschelt (CDU), and the affected people and emergency services.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel (CDU) Is expected to be held on Sunday in the severely damaged region of Rhineland-Palatinate. On Saturday, the Mainz State Chancellery confirmed this at the request of the German News Agency. The details are still being clarified. First, “Bild am Sonntag” reported on this.
“Many people have lost everything they built in their lifetime,” Steinmeier said in Elfstadt on Saturday. He thanked the emergency services and the municipal managers who took command. Many people will be “exhausted”. Steinmeier “on behalf of all Germans” expressed his heartfelt thanks to these helpers. The calls for help from all over the region are “big and urgent.”
The Federal President said: “The water is receding, but in the next few days, you may see the damage that still exists.” He warned: People believe that even if this topic no longer dominates the headlines, unity will continue.
Raschelt Pledge that North Rhine-Westphalia will “do everything possible” to organize direct assistance for the affected people. After that, structural help must be given to rebuild everything. Raschelt said he is very happy that the federal government and other countries have pledged support. Helping the disaster-stricken areas is a “national mission.” State and city governments cannot do this alone.
Although the water masses are slowly retreating from many flooded areas in North Rhine-Westphalia and Rhineland-Palatinate, the search for the death toll in the ruins of the disaster area is still continuing. By noon on Saturday, this number had risen to more than 130.
More than two days after the disaster, there are still people missing in the area. Thousands of rescuers were deployed in Eiffel and other places. There, on Thursday night, a large amount of water had destroyed the entire place. According to the Ministry of the Interior of North Rhine-Westphalia, at least 43 people have died and many injured in North Rhine-Westphalia. For Rhineland-Palatinate, State Minister of the Interior Roger Levinz (SPD) spoke of 362 injuries on Friday.
