Flood disaster: death toll continues to rise

Rescue work is progressing in many places, and more and more fatalities are known. In the Heinsberg district, rescue workers had to bring hundreds of people to safety after a dam broke. The weather situation remains tense.

The situation in the areas in Rhineland-Palatinate and North Rhine-Westphalia that were badly affected by the storm remains unclear. While salvage work is progressing in many places, the number of known fatalities increased to 108. Numerous people are still missing.

The Rhineland-Palatinate Interior Minister Roger Lewentz (SPD) gave in SWR on Friday night known the discovery of two more corpses and put the number of deaths in his state at 65. Among them were twelve residents of a disabled facility in Sinzig who could no longer be rescued and drowned helplessly. NRW Prime Minister Armin Laschet (CDU) spoke of at least 43 dead in his state.

Thousands without electricity

The authorities were largely reluctant to provide total information on missing persons. In the particularly affected Rhineland-Palatinate district of Ahrweiler, the number of missing people has been unclear since Thursday evening. Since the cellular network and phone lines are down, there is no way to track contacts over the phone.

Dramatic scenes also took place in Erftstadt, south of Cologne. The Erft, which overflowed its banks, washed away numerous houses and caused them to collapse in whole or in part. There was erosion, which resulted in larger areas of the soil breaking away. The authorities assume several deaths, but were unable to provide precise information on the number of victims on Friday.

The infrastructure in the affected areas failed completely at times. In addition, there were a number of destroyed or unusable roads and railways. A natural gas pipeline tore in the Ahrweiler district and there is a risk of the gas supply failing for weeks. On Friday around 102,000 people in both federal states were still without electricity.

Dam break in the Heinsberg district

While the situation at the Steinbachtalsperre relaxed and water could be drained in a controlled manner, a dam broke in the Heinsberg district on Friday evening. The village of Ohe was completely evacuated, the evacuation of the Wassenberg district of Ophovens was initiated in the evening. 700 people are affected. Due to the flood situation, parts of the villages of Effeld and Steinkirchen could also be flooded. Almost 1,600 people live there. However, the two places did not initially have to be evacuated.

Again WDR reported, the cause, according to Mayor Marcel Maurer, is that at the point where the Rur flows into the Meuse, lock flaps on the Dutch side have been closed, so that there is currently a backwater. The mayor contacted the Dutch so that the locks could be opened again.

Weather situation remains tense

In Baden-Württemberg, too, storms and floods caused problems for people. Roads were closed in some regions, and a residential area was flooded in the Allgäu. The German Weather Service (DWD) warns of heavy rain and thunderstorms, for example in Upper Swabia. The water level can rise quickly, especially in smaller bodies of water. According to the DWD, heavy rain and floods are also expected in Bavaria.

The State Office for the Environment Rhineland-Palatinate reported a low flood risk for almost the entire state by Saturday morning. In the region around Altenahr and in parts of the Eifel, isolated floods are still possible. Falling water levels are expected in North Rhine-Westphalia, but this will sometimes only happen slowly. The water levels were often above the warning thresholds, according to the State Environment Agency.

Landsberg: “National show of strength” required

While the rescue work continues, calls for rapid aid from the federal and state governments are growing louder. In view of the extensive destruction of the infrastructure in the flooded areas, a “national effort by the federal government and the affected federal states” is necessary, said the chief executive of the association of towns and municipalities, Gerd Landsberg, the editorial network Germany.

The reconstruction must be “quickly and unbureaucratically organized and financed” by the federal and state governments. First aid would have to be provided at short notice, but also financial commitments for necessary construction work, demanded Landsberg.

Federal government wants to put together aid package

The Federal Cabinet wants to advise on help for those affected on Wednesday, as a spokesman for the Federal Ministry of Finance had previously announced. Head of department Olaf Scholz (SPD) is holding talks within the federal government in order to provide quick help.

Federal Interior Minister Horst Seehofer (CSU) also emphasized to the “Spiegel” that on Wednesday help in the cabinet should be discussed. He does not want to give details before there is a clear picture of the extent of the damage. “But you can assume that it will be a big package,” said Seehofer. During the so-called flood of the century, which affected eight federal states in 2013, the federal government set up a flood aid fund worth eight billion euros.

Rhineland-Palatinate provided 50 million euros as short-term support to repair damage to roads, bridges and other structures. NRW Prime Minister Laschet announced a multi-stage aid program for the victims of the storm disaster in his state. The funds available up to now for emergency aid in the event of heavy rain events would “by far not be sufficient”.

Steinmeier visits Erfstadt

Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier wants to visit Erftstadt today together with Prime Minister Laschet. According to the Chancellery, Chancellor Angela Merkel (CDU) is also planning an “early visit to the disaster area”.

Green Chancellor candidate Annalena Baerbock is already there. After breaking off her vacation, she traveled to the crisis areas. As a spokeswoman said, the party leader wants to find out about the situation of the people there. In doing so, she deliberately refrained from accompanying the press or making public appearances. According to the information, Baerbock already arrived in Mainz on Friday, and further appointments are scheduled for Saturday in North Rhine-Westphalia.