Scholz and Rehlinger promise support to those affected by flooding

In rubber boots, Chancellor Scholz got a first-hand look at the flood situation in Saarland. Together with Prime Minister Rehlinger, he assured the affected people of support.

Chancellor Olaf Scholz visited the flood areas in Saarland and spoke to the local people. First he got an idea of ​​the situation in rubber boots together with Saarland Prime Minister Anke Rehlinger in the town of Kleinblittersdorf. An SPD election campaign event with Scholz and Rehlinger was actually planned in Saarland, but it was canceled given the situation.

“It has once again become dramatically clear what violence nature has, what destruction it can cause and how much we have to prepare for such events again and again,” said Scholz. Both the Chancellor and the Prime Minister thanked the emergency services and particularly emphasized the commitment of volunteers and private helpers. It is important to see “that the cooperation, help and support worked – which affects both the state organizations at various levels, but also the volunteers,” said Scholz. “We will always be dependent on something like this.” Rehlinger spoke of an “incredible commitment.”

No reports of fatalities

Heavy rain on Friday led to sometimes severe flooding in Saarland and neighboring Rhineland-Palatinate. The German Weather Service (DWD) measured more than 100 liters of rain per square meter in Saarland in less than 24 hours. For comparison: In the entire month of April, around 74 liters of rain per square meter were measured in Saarland – and this was a sixth more precipitation than normal in that month.

The situation center in Saarbrücken spoke of more than 3,000 registered police and rescue missions by early morning. The police in Saarland alone recorded around 1,000 operations. In addition, according to the Interior Ministry, there were more than 2,400 deployments by fire departments and other aid organizations.

According to the authorities, according to current findings, there have been no fatalities that were directly related to rainfall. However, there was at least one injured person. According to the police, a person fell into the water during an evacuation operation and was then taken to a hospital.

The situation remains tense in some cases

Even though the German Weather Service (DWD) lifted all severe weather warnings in Germany this morning, the situation in the state remains tense. While, according to the State Office for Environmental and Occupational Safety, the very high water levels of the Saar and its tributaries in the west of the state have largely stagnated, the peaks in the east have not yet been reached. For example, the level of the Blies could rise from around 3.50 meters at Blieskastel to around 4 meters.

There were also official flood warnings for several places in the Merzig-Wadern district. The state capital Saarbrücken as well as several districts had previously declared a major disaster.

While clean-up work could already begin in some places, such as parts of Ottweiler, helpers elsewhere were busy bringing people to safety. A retirement home with around 100 residents in the Neunkirchen area had to be evacuated in the morning. The people were taken to an emergency shelter.

Rehlinger and Scholz promise help

According to Prime Minister Rehlingers, there was massive damage to public infrastructure and private property. However, she emphasized that the full extent of the damage cannot yet be predicted. “But we can assume significant damage.” The Saarland state government has already taken the first steps to provide financial aid after the floods. “Nobody should be left out in the cold in this difficult situation,” she said.

And the Chancellor also assured Saarland of federal solidarity. Acute help is the priority, said Scholz. “If we can better understand the damage, it will also be a question of what to do to help people.” But everyone can rely on “that this will happen in the best possible way,” assured the SPD politician, without becoming more specific.

Floods also in Rhineland-Palatinate and France

In addition to Saarland, other areas in southwest Germany as well as France and Luxembourg were affected by the storms with heavy rain. According to authorities, flooding occurred in parts of the Trier-Saarburg and Südwestpfalz districts in Rhineland-Palatinate. According to the district administration, due to a defective barrage in Detzem in Trier-Saarburg, there could also be a backwater on the Moselle and thus flooding in the communities in question. According to the information, the emergency services were further increased here.

In the afternoon, Rhineland-Palatinate Prime Minister Malu Dreyer wants to visit the flood area in the Southwest Palatinate district and get an idea of ​​the situation.

The red alert for flooding remains in effect in the French region of Moselle in Lorraine. The weather service Metéo France reported “exceptional flooding” on the Saar tributary Nied and “severe flooding” on several rivers in the northeast of the region on the border with Germany. In the Bas-Rhin department around Strasbourg, there is a warning level of orange, i.e. the second highest level.