Storm disaster: “It’s really devastating”

After the severe storm, the emergency services assume more than 30 deaths in Rhineland-Palatinate and North Rhine-Westphalia. Numerous people are still missing, many are waiting to be rescued. Prime Minister Dreyer was shocked.

A violent storm with heavy rain and floods caused shock and sadness in western Germany. When the Rhineland-Palatinate Prime Minister Malu Dreyer took the floor at the beginning of the state parliament session in Mainz, it became clear what catastrophe had occurred. “There are dead, there are missing, there are many who are still in danger. It is really devastating,” says Dreyer.

Whole places are flooded, houses simply swam away. Police helicopters are on their way to rescue people from the roofs of houses. How many people died in connection with the disaster is still unclear. In the particularly badly affected district of Ahrweiler alone, the police assume 18 deaths. Dozens of people are still missing there.

At least eight deaths are reported from the district of Euskirchen in the also affected state of North Rhine-Westphalia. In addition, there are several other victims from other places in both federal states – emergency services who were carried away by the masses of water or people who died in their flooded cellars.

Chancellor Angela Merkel, currently visiting the USA, expressed her condolences on Twitter and thanked the helpers. She was “shocked” by the disaster.

Numerous houses in danger of collapsing

In the Rhineland-Palatinate Schuld the river Ahr was transformed into a raging body of water. Aerial photos show how parts of the place almost sink into the floods with rubble and mud. According to the police, several houses collapsed, “numerous” others are in danger of collapsing. In addition, many people from the entire district would be missing.

The police set up a telephone information point for relatives. People from the region were asked to provide the police with videos and photos that could provide clues about the missing and dead. In addition, the police asked people to keep escape routes clear, as onlookers had blocked the operation.

Bundeswehr helps with the rescue

The disaster was declared in the Ahrweiler district, where the guilt lies. According to the police, around 50 people were waiting on the roofs of houses, the rescue operations were in full swing. However, several places were cut off from the outside world because of the flood. According to the police, the rescue workers did not reach all of the affected places. Rescue helicopters from Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria and Hesse as well as the Bundeswehr help with the rescue. District Administrator Jürgen Pföhler called on people to stay at home if possible and “if necessary to go to higher floors”. “The situation is very serious,” he said.

In the Eifel district of Bitburg-Prüm, several people were trapped in their homes by the water, including in Waxweiler. People had to be rescued – but there have not yet been any reports of dead, injured or missing. In the Erdorf district of Bitburg, brown masses of mud fell through the streets.

Several hundred people were brought to safety in boats in the municipality of Kordel in the Trier-Saarburg district. There are no reports of missing, dead or injured people from Kordel, said a spokesman for the district. Because of flooded access roads, the place with 2000 inhabitants was cut off. According to the district, the Bundeswehr was also deployed here to save people. Among other things, an old people’s home had been vacated. Kordel lies on the Kyll, a tributary of the Moselle.

Dramatic situation in the Euskirchen district

The situation in the district of Euskirchen in North Rhine-Westphalia is also dramatic and confusing. Eight deaths are currently known, the district announced via Facebook. “Communication has largely failed, in many parts of the district the Internet and telephone connections are limited,” said the situation report. The emergency number 112 is also not available. The situation in Schleiden, Gemünd and Oberhausen is very critical. “People are being rescued. Sometimes there is no access.”

The city of Altena is still cut off from the outside world. “It is really very depressing here,” said district spokesman Alexander Bange of the dpa news agency. “The water is still flowing knee-high through the streets, cars are standing across, litter and scrub are piled up on the sides.” Local residents tried desperately to use brooms or other devices to get the water out of their homes. In addition to Altena, the situation was particularly tense in Nachrodt, Werdohl and parts of Lüdenscheid.

Extreme flooding in Hagen

In cities such as Dusseldorf, Dortmund and Bochum, cellars overflowing, flooded streets and fallen trees caused hundreds of missions. In Leverkusen and Eschweiler, hospitals had to be evacuated, around 700 patients were affected.

The situation in Hagen is particularly tense. The city administration announced that the crisis team expected “a 25-year flood”. A state of emergency was declared there. Those who live in the immediate vicinity of rivers are asked to go to higher areas.

At noon, North Rhine-Westphalia’s Prime Minister Armin Laschet visited the city and announced help for the people affected. Laschet praised the efforts of the politicians on site: In Hagen, preparations for the crisis team had already been made when the sun was still shining, said the CDU chairman. In this way a major catastrophe could be prevented. The quick, unbureaucratic deployment of the Bundeswehr also helped significantly.

Around 1,500 people have to leave their homes in Hückeswagen in the Oberbergisches Kreis. The emergency services use boats because many roads are no longer passable. However, the situation does not seem quite as tense as it was during the night. “The dam that threatened to break is so far safe,” said a police spokesman. In the area around the dam, however, there are large-scale floods. According to the police spokesman, around 1000 forces were deployed in the Oberberg district during the night.

Overflow of the Wuppertalsperre prevented

Meanwhile, the water will continue to be drained at the Wuppertalsperre. An uncontrolled overflow was feared there. However, the fire brigade managed to let the water run off in a controlled manner. For security reasons, the residents of the Wupper in Radevormwald had been asked to leave their apartments since late Wednesday evening.

Blocked train routes and highways

Deutsche Bahn reported delays and train cancellations. Several routes are not passable, such as the Cologne-Wuppertal-Hagen section, the Cologne-Koblenz route via Bonn and international long-distance traffic to and from Brussels. In addition, numerous motorway sections are affected, including the A1 between Leverkusen and Burscheid, the A44 at the Düsseldorf junction, the A61 on several sections and the A553 near Brühl.