As a consequence of the flood disaster and the corona pandemic, the federal government has decided to take the first steps in a new precautionary strategy. Federal Interior Minister Horst Seehofer (CSU) promised closer cooperation between the federal and state governments in disaster control on Wednesday. At the same time, he promised that the population should be warned by SMS in the future in the event of floods and other dangers. The President of the Federal Office for Civil Protection and Disaster Aid (BBK), Armin Schuster, commissioned a feasibility study for this form of warning, called “cell broadcasting”, said Seehofer. Schuster assumes that the result expected before the general election will be positive.
With cell broadcasting, a message is sent to cell phone users, similar to an SMS – to all recipients who are currently in the radio cell in question. Data protectionists consider this technology, which is already used in many other countries, to be relatively harmless. A mix of analog and digital methods is necessary to warn of acute dangers, said Seehofer. Sirens alone are not a panacea, because “it is not enough just to warn acoustically, the population must also know what to do”.
The “National Health Protection Reserve” now decided by the cabinet is intended to be the first part of a comprehensive strategy for civil protection. In the medium term, precautions against crises such as floods and major fires are to be improved. There are also plans for a joint federal and state competence center at the BBK, in which the Bundeswehr and aid organizations will also be involved.
“What we can still improve in general is simply the mutual exchange,” said Seehofer, referring to the planned BBK competence center. The resources of the BBK, which has so far mainly been responsible for the case of defense, should in future be better used in peacetime, said Seehofer. In addition to the implementation of a concept already presented in March for realigning the Bonn authority, there may also have to be “a small change in the law” in autumn.
It also makes sense to consider whether it should continue to run in such a way that each disaster control manager in his municipality decides for himself when the population is to be warned, or whether it would not make more sense for the state authorities to automatically take action at certain risk levels. Seehofer emphasized that it was about a “policy change towards more precautionary measures than support for the federal states” and not about taking away competencies from the federal states. Despite all the reforms that have already been planned, one must honestly say: “We cannot promise one hundred percent protection”.
Like Health Minister Jens Spahn (CDU), he appealed to the population to develop more awareness of the crisis. Even if warning systems were improved, this would not work without the involvement of the media and the general public. “We need to raise awareness for everyone in the population on how to deal with disaster scenarios,” said Seehofer. Spahn recalled the pandemic plans that had existed for years in municipalities, for example, but they were never practiced.
400 million euros as emergency aid for flood victims
One week after the flood disaster began, the federal government initiated emergency aid for the victims. It initially wants to provide up to 200 million euros from the federal budget, as can be seen from the template that is available to the Reuters news agency and which the cabinet approved on Wednesday. The government assumes that the countries will also provide as much money – that makes a total of 400 million euros.
The emergency aid is intended to immediately repair damage to buildings and infrastructure and to bridge emergencies, according to the proposal. “The aim of this financial aid is to eliminate direct damage to buildings, agricultural and forestry means of production, including the commercial economy, and the local and business-related infrastructure on site, as well as bridging emergencies.” If the 400 million euros are not enough, more money will be made available, promised Federal Finance Minister Olaf Scholz (SPD).
The federal government also wants to agree on a joint program with the federal states for the long-term reconstruction of the infrastructure. However, this should only be discussed in the coming or following week, when “the current total damage can be better estimated”. The Federal Interior Minister Horst Seehofer (CSU) said the Federal Interior Minister Horst Seehofer (CSU) will repair the damage to federal highways, motorways and railway lines.
One week after the devastating floods began, the damage to the infrastructure is becoming increasingly evident – with destroyed roads, railroad tracks, bridges, cell phone masts, electricity, gas and water lines. To cope with all of this, Germany also wants to apply for money from the EU Solidarity Fund. The federal government currently expects damage of at least two billion to the roads and rails alone. According to the Deutsche Bahn, the water masses damaged seven regional routes in North Rhine-Westphalia and Rhineland-Palatinate so badly that they have to be rebuilt or extensively renovated. Tracks on around 600 kilometers are affected.
According to Prime Minister Armin Laschet, the state of North Rhine-Westphalia will provide 200 million euros for emergency aid, as he said on Tuesday evening in the ZDF’s “Today Journal”. Some municipalities have already started paying out cash. Rhineland-Palatinate had previously Emergency aid of up to 3500 euros per household decided. The money is to be paid out through the district administrations without a means test – as well as more than 6.2 million euros that have been received as private donations in a separate account of the state government. Bavaria wants to provide 50 million euros for flood victims in the Free State. (07/21/2021)
THW no longer expects to find survivors
The Vice President of the Technical Relief Organization (THW), Sabine Lackner, sees little chance of finding survivors less than a week after the floods in western Germany. “We are currently still looking for missing people, for example when clearing the paths or pumping out the basement,” she told the editorial network in Germany. “Unfortunately, at this point in time it is very likely that victims can only be recovered, not saved.”
The number of flood deaths had risen to more than 170 within a week by Tuesday. From Rhineland-Palatinate, 122 and from North Rhine-Westphalia 48 storm deaths were confirmed, one from Bavaria. People were still missing on Tuesday – 155 in the particularly affected district of Ahrweiler in the north of Rhineland-Palatinate and five in the Rhein-Erft district in North Rhine-Westphalia. In Ahrweiler, around 40,000 people are considered to have been affected by the consequences of the devastating floods and floods. (07/21/2021)
Corona hardship fund will probably be opened for flood victims
According to Finance Minister Olaf Scholz, a hardship fund decided during the Corona crisis could be expanded for companies affected by the flood disaster. The SPD politician said on Wednesday that they were currently discussing restructuring the fund. Previously, Minister of Economic Affairs Peter Altmaier (CDU) had proposed a lump sum of up to 10,000 euros for affected companies that had already suffered losses due to the corona pandemic.
In March, the federal and state governments decided on a hardship fund worth billions in the corona crisis. The federal government provides one-time funds of 750 million euros, the states contribute the same amount. The help is intended on a case-by-case basis for companies that, at the discretion of the countries, need such support. It is also under discussion that the obligation for entrepreneurs to file for bankruptcy in the event of insolvency will be lifted in certain cases. That would not be necessary if government support is to be expected. (07/21/2021)
Tourism in crisis: Corona is followed by floods
Devastated campsites, destroyed holiday homes and hotels, damaged bridges, tracks and roads: the flood disaster, especially in western Germany, is hitting tourism hard in the affected areas. “For the hosts, who have lost their livelihood in the worst case after the long corona lockdown, it is an absolute catastrophe,” reports Michelle Schwefel, branch manager of the German holiday home association. In particular, the regions in rural areas are urgently dependent on tourism. “The full extent of the flood and the effects on tourism cannot be estimated at the moment,” said Schwefel.
According to the German Hotel and Restaurant Association (Dehoga) in Rhineland-Palatinate, for example, there are virtually no inns or hotels in the badly affected Ahrweiler district that could serve guests again within the next twelve months. “The destroyed infrastructure, the broken buildings but also, for example, the lack of gas supply give little cause for hope,” said Dehoga regional association president Gereon Haumann.
Numerous holiday guests would also cancel their bookings in parts of the country that were not affected by the flooding at all, such as Rheinhessen or the Palatinate. “We are assuming that thousands of beds will remain empty despite the high season,” said Haumann. This is because the state is viewed as a disaster area as a whole. Even holiday areas along the Moselle are now ready for guests again.
According to initial estimates by the Federal Association of the Camping Industry (BVCD) in Germany, four campsites in North Rhine-Westphalia and eleven in Rhineland-Palatinate are so devastated that they cannot open for an indefinite period. There are more than 3000 campsites nationwide, which usually make around 70 percent of their turnover in the holiday months of July and August. “There is hope that there have been an above-average number of bookings for September so far,” said BCD managing director Christian Günther. “We see corona catch-up effects.” (07/21/2021)
The federal cabinet decrees the costs of rescue operations for countries
After the flood disaster, the federal government decided to provide emergency aid for those affected and a fund to rebuild destroyed infrastructure for the federal states. It exempts them from the costs of rescue operations by the federal police, technical aid organization (THW) or customs. They are also not billed for deployments by Bundeswehr soldiers. The federal government usually advances the money for this, but then gets it back from the municipalities or federal states – this should not be the case in the event of a flood disaster. (07/21/2021)
THW: The debate about possible guilt is currently wrong
The vice-president of the Technical Relief Organization (THW), Sabine Lackner, warns against quick assignments of blame, according to which a better warning system could have prevented deaths. “Of course we will have to work through the processes. But I find this debate unfortunate three to four days after the disaster.” She advised against “speaking of failure now and looking for the guilty”. Many people are still standing in front of the ruins of their livelihoods, and many support measures are still in progress.
In future, more tried and tested alarm systems will be needed again, says Lackner. “Why not use loudspeakers to warn you on the street, for example if a bomb is found? Many sirens have also been abolished in recent years, they are needed.” At the same time, there are increasing demands to provide the population with SMS warning messages on their mobile phones in the future. A possibility for which Chancellor Angela Merkel (CDU) had already shown herself openly. Seehofer now promised that a corresponding system could be ready before the federal election. (07/21/2021)