Flood disaster: “New bad news every hour”

More than a hundred dead, still many missing – politicians and experts expect the number of victims to rise. Because now the water is slowly receding in many places and the salvage work is progressing.

The floods and landslides in western Germany caused by heavy rain have so far cost the lives of at least 106 people. As the salvage work progresses, the number of deaths continues to rise.

The Rhineland-Palatinate Prime Minister Malu Dreyer (SPD) and North Rhine-Westphalia’s Prime Minister Armin Laschet (CDU) expressed concern that the number of victims would increase. It is already well above the number of deaths in the so-called Centennial Floods of the Elbe and Danube in 2013. At that time, 21 people died.

At least 63 dead in Rhineland-Palatinate

According to Dreyer, the disaster severely traumatized countless people. “Suffering is increasing dramatically today because we get new bad news every hour,” she said in Mainz. Many residents are still missing.

The situation in Sinzig, where twelve residents of a facility for the disabled drowned, is particularly tragic. “It’s really, really terrible if you just think for a second that so many people perished in a dormitory,” said Dreyer. According to the SWR the ground floor of the Lebenshilfe facility was completely flooded within a few minutes on Thursday night. The employees were no longer able to bring the residents to safety.

Rescue and clean-up work continues in the flooded areas. State Interior Minister Roger Lewentz (SPD) reported that dead people were repeatedly found after draining the water from basements or pumping it out. A spokesman for the Rhineland-Palatinate state interior ministry spoke in the afternoon of at least 63 dead who had already been recovered.

In the Ahrweiler district in the north of Rhineland-Palatinate alone, at least 362 people were injured, as the police in Koblenz announced. In the village of Schuld an der Ahr alone, with 700 inhabitants, several houses were swept away by the masses of water and numerous other buildings, some severely damaged. There was also considerable damage in other regions of the Eifel and in the Trier-Saarburg district.

Merkel and Steinmeier are planning a visit to the disaster area

Chancellor Angela Merkel (CDU) took part in a video conference of the Rhineland-Palatinate state crisis team in the afternoon. In a conversation with Prime Minister Dreyer and representatives of the emergency services, she informed herself about the current situation in the disaster areas and the status of the rescue work, said government spokesman Steffen Seibert. Merkel is in talks with the state government about an “early visit to the disaster area”.

In the evening there was a video conference with NRW Prime Minister Laschet and Interior Minister Reul. Here, too, she announced a visit to the particularly affected flood areas. In addition to the Federal Chancellor, Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier also wants to visit NRW. He comes to the particularly badly hit Rhein-Erft district on Saturday.

Green Chancellor candidate Annalena Baerbock is already there. After breaking off her vacation, she traveled to the crisis areas. As a spokeswoman announced on Friday evening, 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 has already arrived in Mainz, and further appointments are scheduled for Saturday in North Rhine-Westphalia.

NRW: “Flood disaster of historic proportions”

North Rhine-Westphalia’s Prime Minister Laschet spoke of a “flood disaster of historic proportions” on the second day after the heavy rain. In his state alone, at least 43 people have lost their lives. He thanked all rescue workers. According to NRW Interior Minister Reul, 25 cities and districts in the state are affected by the floods. Around 19,000 workers from the fire brigade and THW are in action.

In Erftstadt-Blessem, southwest of Cologne, massive landslides led to a dramatic situation. Craters formed in the ground, houses and part of the historic castle collapsed. Parts of the A1 motorway were washed away by the Erft, which overflowed its banks. The authorities expected fatalities in the course of the rescue work.

In the afternoon, around 102,000 people in both federal states were still without electricity.

Location at dams relaxes

The situation at the dams in NRW relaxed slightly in the evening. According to information from the Cologne district government, the previously clogged bottom outlet of the Steinbachtalsperre was exposed, as a message said. Water can now be drained off in a controlled manner through this opening in order to reduce the pressure on the structure. The Technische Hilfswerk (THW) also pumped out water. In the afternoon, the district reported that a drone had not discovered any critical cracks in the structure.

At the Rurtalsperre, too, the all-clear has been given for the time being: The Eifel-Rur Water Association speaks of a “low dynamic”. In some other places, too, there were signs of some relaxation when the water levels fell.

Floods in Baden-Wuerttemberg

Further south in Baden-Württemberg, storms and floods made people difficult. In some regions roads were again closed, in the Allgäu a residential area was under water. The German Weather Service (DWD) warned of heavy rain and thunderstorms, for example in Upper Swabia. The water level can rise quickly, especially in smaller bodies of water.

Federal government wants to put together aid package

The federal government wants to prepare extensive financial aid for the flood victims within a few days. “My house is just developing the concept for this with the Federal Chancellor and Federal Finance Minister Olaf Scholz,” said Federal Interior Minister Horst Seehofer (CSU) to “Spiegel”. “If possible, it should go to the cabinet on Wednesday.”

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”.