Flood disaster: Serious allegations against Ahrweiler’s district administrator


Status: 07/31/2021 12:42 p.m.

More than two weeks after the devastating flood disaster in Rhineland-Palatinate, there are serious allegations against the Ahrweiler district. Precise warnings were given without those responsible having reacted in time.

After the flood disaster in the Ahrweiler district, criticism of the responsible district administrator is increasing. According to a media report, the district was warned precisely on the night of July 15, but without responding in time. The district administration received several automated emails from the Rhineland-Palatinate State Environment Agency, reported the “Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung”, citing a spokesman for the authority.

As early as the afternoon of July 14th, the State Environment Agency published forecasts that predicted a water level in the Ahr well above the previous high of 3.70 meters. In the evening, in addition to the emails, there was also further online information from the state authority. In it and in the emails to the district administration, an expected water level of almost seven meters was mentioned around 9:30 p.m. Nevertheless, the district only declared the disaster at around 11 p.m. and initiated evacuation measures.

Processes should be worked up

Only in the early evening, according to “FAZ”, the warning had meanwhile been somewhat defused. District Administrator Jürgen Pföhler (CDU) thus justified his initially wait-and-see attitude. State Interior Minister Roger Lewentz (SPD) referred to the “FAZ” on the responsibility of the district administration. He announced that the processes that evening would be “worked up exactly”.

The crisis researcher Frank Roselieb also made serious allegations against Pföhler. The disaster control management is part of the core function of every district chief and every mayor, said the Kiel scientist of the “Rhein-Zeitung”. He considers it inexplicable that no pre-alarm has been triggered in the Ahrweiler district. According to Roselieb, a pre-alarm could have been triggered in the early evening of July 14th, “in order to be able to initiate emergency measures”. This is possible, for example, if “the water levels rise and rise without anything worse having happened”.

A resident walks across a square in Ahrweiler through rubble and rubbish from the flooded houses (aerial photo with a drone).

Image: dpa

“Disaster alert in the head”

Roselieb spoke of a “disaster alert in the head”. At the time the disaster was declared around 11 p.m., the message was also issued to evacuate the buildings 50 meters to the right and left of the Ahr. When Pföhler appealed to the population at that time to move to higher floors, however, houses had already been swept away by the masses of water.

“Nobody can say that there have never been such tidal waves in the Ahr Valley,” emphasized Roselieb. “During the flood 200 years ago, the dimensions were even bigger.” It was similar 100 years ago. In addition, one was warned early on. From the point of view of the researcher, there is therefore no reason not to have been prepared for a tidal wave like the recent one.

Untreated wastewater flows into the Ahr

The local situation is still precarious. Since all sewage treatment plants in the Ahr valley were damaged by the floods, the wastewater that is produced flows into the Ahr without being treated or treated. In order to be able to cross the river again, the first temporary bridge will be opened to traffic today. It was built by the technical relief organization from prefabricated steel elements.

In Rhineland-Palatinate and North Rhine-Westphalia, extremely heavy rain more than two weeks ago triggered devastating floods. Many communities, especially in the Rhineland-Palatinate Ahr valley, were devastated. Rhineland-Palatinate has reported 135 deaths so far, 59 other people are still missing there. There were 47 fatalities in North Rhine-Westphalia.



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