Flood
Fire brigade association calls for ten billion “special program”
The flooding continues to make things difficult for people – like here in Saxony-Anhalt. There are growing calls for better equipment for emergency services. photo
© Jan Woitas/dpa
The flooding continues to cause hardship for people in many places. There are growing calls for better equipment for emergency services. Now the constant rain should end.
In view of the continued critical flood situation in several federal states, the fire brigade association is pushing for a ten billion “special program” for security authorities. The President of the German Fire Brigade Association (DFV), Karl-Heinz Banse, justified his demand by saying that there would be more frequent heavy rain and flooding in the future. The Greens spoke out in favor of better equipment for the fire department and other aid organizations. In the meantime, do that Flooding continues to be difficult for emergency services in many places.
The south of Saxony-Anhalt and parts of Lower Saxony are particularly affected. In Bavaria, the situation in the north and east remains critical. Rising water levels were also reported in Hesse.
The continuous rain phase should come to an end
After all, the long period of continuous rain in Lower Saxony is expected to end in the morning. However, there is still a risk of flooding in many streams and rivers, it said. In Bavaria, too, the continuous rain warnings were lifted in the evening, as the flood intelligence service (HND) announced. This means that the flood situation in northern Bavaria has reached its peak – but it remains tense in the areas north of the Danube.
At the reporting point in the Upper Palatinate town of Cham, the water level of the Regen River rose again. This means that there is once again a risk that properties or cellars could be flooded or that transport connections would have to be closed, as data from the Regensburg Water Management Office shows. At the reporting point in the northern Hesse community of Guxhagen, the water level of the Fulda also rose sharply during the night.
“An additional ten billion euros are necessary”
DFV President Banse told the daily newspapers of the Funke media group: “Climate change will mean that Germany will experience more frequent and intense heavy rain and floods in the future. Germany’s security authorities must become crisis-proof.” This requires a special program, similar to the one imposed by the federal government on the Bundeswehr after Russia’s attack on Ukraine.
Banse emphasized: “An additional ten billion euros from the federal budget is needed to protect the population. This will allow us to purchase important equipment for use: sandbag filling machines, pump systems, off-road vehicles.”
Demand for central disaster control
Green Party leader Omid Nouripour calls for greater centralization of disaster control. We need to “further develop the Federal Office for Civil Protection so that it can take on more responsibility in the event of transnational disasters,” Nouripour told the Germany editorial network.
“We made good agreements in the coalition agreement that now need to be implemented.” It is also important to equip the fire brigade, the Technical Relief Agency (THW) and aid organizations so that they can respond appropriately to disaster situations.
“In the coming years we will experience a further increase in extreme weather events – this reality must also be reflected in the equipment of the fire brigade, THW and aid organizations,” said Nouripour.
The Green politician Jan-Niclas Gesenhues wants more careful planning of building areas. “In the past, there was too much building built into flood areas. As a result, residential development has moved too close to water,” said the environmental policy spokesman for his group to “Web.de News”.
Wissing: Flood situation very serious
Federal Transport Minister Volker Wissing described the flood situation in Germany as very serious. “I am therefore in close contact with the German Weather Service, Autobahn GmbH and Deutsche Bahn AG,” the FDP politician told the dpa. “I would especially like to thank the many helpers who are working tirelessly on site.”
Precise and timely warnings of dangerous weather events are essential for the population and disaster control. In the past few weeks, the German Weather Service (DWD) has used its technical expertise to repeatedly issue reliable warnings about the heavy, continuous rain. The expertise of the weather service could be used even better in the future, said Wissing.
The DWD meteorologists expect that the continuous rain that is still prevailing in some places will end during the day.