Ex-Environment Minister Spiegel (Greens) is scheduled to testify in the flood investigation committee on Friday. Now text message logs from the night of the flood and the morning after have emerged, shedding new light on her role.
The non-public minutes “FOCUS online” and the “Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung” could be viewed. According to SWR research, the SMS messages are authentic. From the point of view of “FOCUS online” they make it clear on the one hand that today’s Federal Family Minister Anne Spiegel and her State Secretary Erwin Manz (Greens) had no idea on that unlucky day how the tidal wave made its way in the Ahr Valley. For example, the press office contacted Manz at 6 p.m. on July 14 with the question: “Do we have to do something now?” Manz’s answer was: “Not today.”
If you have any questions about water levels, please refer to the State Office for the Environment (LfU). According to “FOCUS online”, Manz was apparently not aware that the LfU “usually published completely outdated data from the German weather service and later important measuring stations also failed”. As Minister for the Environment, Spiegel was also responsible for the country’s flood reporting service at the time.
Reconstruction is underway in the areas in Rhineland-Palatinate that were destroyed by the flood disaster. Many of those affected have been living in emergency shelters for months. Here is the current situation.
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“FOCUS Online”: Mirror worried about your image
According to “FOCUS online”, the SMS logs also suggest that after the flood night, Spiegel pondered how to divert the blame for the flood disaster and how to cushion any attacks by the social democratic coalition partner.
After her press spokesman Dietmar Brück made corresponding suggestions, Spiegel replied: “Dear Dietmar, that coincides with my thoughts, plus: the blame game could start immediately, we need a wording that we warned in time, I in the cabinet.” In addition, the minister wanted to emphasize that “without our prevention and precautionary measures, everything would have gotten much worse, etc.”
Spiegel apparently mistrusted Interior Minister Lewentz
According to “FOCUS online”, the Green politician was primarily concerned that Interior Minister Roger Lewentz (SPD) could drive her into the parade. “I trust Roger to say that the disaster could have been prevented or would not have been so bad if we as the Ministry of the Environment had warned earlier and that it is up to us because we underestimated the situation.” Spiegel therefore suggested that a “mini crisis team be drummed up and we should deal with the issues in order to be able to act”.
The opposition CDU and AfD factions sharply criticized Spiegel’s behavior: “The reports about the SMS exchange between Spiegel and her adviser leave me stunned,” said CDU faction leader Christian Baldauf. While the Ahr valley was flooded on the morning of July 15 and the number of deaths had risen dramatically, the management of the Ministry of the Environment was concerned about a “credible role” and Spiegel’s image. “Not a word about the terrible situation, no words of empathy, no reflection on how to provide help quickly.”
AfD accuses Spiegel of “coldness”.
AfD faction leader Michael Frisch also spoke of Spiegel’s “coldness”, which left him stunned. “Instead of assuming responsibility and doing everything to save human lives, the environment minister went into hiding during the night of the flood,” said Frisch. The next morning, her first concern was her own image and political damage limitation. “Not a trace of sympathy for the victims.”
The representative of the free voters in the flood investigation committee, Stephan Wefelscheid, emphasized that he could not comment on the authenticity of the chats. But if the documents are genuine, “this throws a frightening picture of the minister’s moral constitution.” “The first thought should not be about one’s own image, but about averting the dangerous situation.”
Support from the Greens faction leader
The parliamentary group leader of the Green parliamentary group, Bernhard Braun, defended his party colleague Spiegel. He spoke of a “malicious campaign” to thwart the previous work of the Flood Inquiry Committee.
The opposition in the Rhineland-Palatinate state parliament has long been accusing the Ministry of the Environment of failings. There was not enough warning about the flood of the century. Spiegel has been invited to appear before the investigative committee of the Rhineland-Palatinate state parliament on the flood disaster on Friday.
Also chats from Lewentz to Dreyer public
Recently, chat messages from Interior Minister Lewentz to Prime Minister Malu Dreyer (SPD) from the flood night were made public. These showed that the state government was largely ignorant of the extent of the natural disaster. Lewentz first learned of some deaths on July 15 at 7:40 a.m. He didn’t know anything about “personal injuries on a larger scale”.