It took only a few minutes for the residents of one of the bustling corners The richest country in the world Degenerate into helplessness, fend for itself flood Roaring and rushing into the town of Schulder, destroying the house and everything they depend on for survival.
In part Western germany, More than 150 liters of rain per square meter fell within 24 hours, causing the normally calm rivers in the idyllic wine-producing valleys to swell and burst their banks.
Sudden floods destroyed houses, submerged pipes and sewers, cut off electrical connections, cut off mobile phone signals, and made residents accustomed to the luxury of an advanced, fully functional country, and were troubled by their friends and neighbors.
“It’s too bad not to be able to help others,” Frank Sell said. “They waved at us from the window. The house collapsed on their left and right, and the house between them was shaking. We were lucky and survived.”
The region is located south of Bonn. This ancient university city has been the capital of West Germany for 40 years and is famous for its wines and beautiful sloping vineyards. Thel said that the residents now fend for themselves after the flood.
Although emergency services and troops have been deployed to the area, they have not had much impact on the damage. “As far as I know, the cleanup work is for neighbors and farmers who use tractors.”
The 2002 flood in Germany resulted in 21 deaths. The media called it “one in a hundred years”, but it is now easily surpassed.
More than 100 people are known to have died in Germany, and more than 1,000 people remain unaccounted for, partly because the mobile phone network in most of the region has collapsed.
Regional broadcaster WDR faced criticism on Wednesday night for trying to inform the world of the brewing disaster. When they explained the reason, the mocking stopped: their studio in the area was submerged.
It is easy to see the shock on the faces of the residents. They can’t believe that things have deteriorated so quickly.
This picture provided by the Cologne District Government on Friday, July 16, 2021, shows the Blessem District in Erfstadt, Germany.
Rhine-Elft area via AP
As the water level rose on Wednesday, Michael Lang, a wine merchant in the area, warned his friends about the imminent flood on Facebook.
“I’m going to evacuate now. Take care of yourself,” he said, with the roaring Al River in the background, and despite the worry engraved on his face, he was still calm and composed.
On Friday, standing above his destroyed village, that calmness had disappeared. “The entire infrastructure is gone,” he choked. “Our house is still there, but there is nothing else.”
(Writing by Thomas Escritt; Editing by Philippa Fletcher)
