On the night of July 14-15, 2021, it rained so much that small rivers and streams turned into torrents, forever changing the lives of thousands of people across the country.
Hundreds of houses were washed away, entire villages were destroyed in just one night, decades of infrastructure were destroyed and worst of all: 135 people died in the water masses. The information and images that came from the Ahr Valley and Trier-Ehrang shocked the whole of Rhineland-Palatinate. Those affected lost their homes, belongings, livelihoods and many loved ones.
The reconstruction quickly began with thousands of volunteers. Work has been going on tirelessly for a year to rebuild the flooded areas. Well, exactly one year after the flood disaster, we should pause for a moment and think about the losses of that one night.
Overview of the dates on the anniversary
The central commemoration ceremony in Bad Neuenahr-Ahrweiler
The visit of Federal President Steinmeier
The program of the SWR
From 11 a.m. Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier will visit various places in the Ahr Valley. The plan is for him to talk to flood victims and tour wineries and other businesses. In the late afternoon, the central commemoration event of the affected communities in the Ahr Valley takes place in the Kurpark Bad Neuenahr-Ahrweiler. There will also be events on July 14th and 15th other decentralized commemorative events in the municipalities. A memorial stone will be unveiled in the local community of Dorsel, and in Antweiler there will be a commemoration in the form of a candlelight service. Insul plans a human chain and in guilt there is a joint commemoration at the transformer tower after a service. In Sinzig there will be a joint commemoration and a concert from 8:30 p.m. Memorial services are also offered almost everywhere and the churches open their doors to those affected until late at night. There are also commemorative events in the Trier region, as well as in North Rhine-Westphalia, where people also died in the floods.
From 5:30 p.m. on July 14, 2022, the central memorial event for the flood victims will take place in the Kurpark Bad Neuenahr-Ahrweiler. Admission is from 4:30 p.m. Those affected will talk about their experiences of the past year and there will be a musical accompanying program.
Announced participants from politics include Prime Minister Malu Dreyer (SPD), District Administrator Cornelia Weigand (independent), the Mayor of Bad Neuenahr-Ahrweiler, Guido Orthen (CDU), and Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD).
Frank-Walter Steinmeier will not be taking part in the central memorial event in Bad-Neuenahr-Ahrweiler, but will be meeting and exchanging views with those affected by the flood disaster beforehand. Among other things, meetings with those affected, helpers and local politicians are planned in Altenahr. He will also visit a carpenter’s shop in Dernau and a winery. There he meets with those affected, whom he met during a visit shortly after the flood.
SWR will accompany the entire anniversary with special programs and live reporting on television, radio and online. SWR1 broadcasts live from the flood area all week long. On July 14, SWR Fernsehen and SWR Aktuell will broadcast the central commemoration event live online. There will also be a live television broadcast from Rech at 6:38 p.m. and an Extra on the matter of Rhineland-Palatinate at 8:15 p.m. SWR Aktuell online reports live all day about the events on the anniversary, in addition to lots of background information on the reconstruction, the help, the committee of inquiry and those affected.