Schuld: Chancellor Angela Merkel is to go to flood-ravaged areas in Germany on Sunday to survey the damage and meet survivors, after days of utmost downpours in western Europe left a minimum of 183 people dead and dozens missing.
Merkel is scheduled to visit the village of Schuld in Rhineland-Palatinate state, one among the 2 hardest-hit regions in western Germany, where the swollen Ahr river caught in a frenzy houses and left debris piled high within the streets.
At least 156 people have died since Wednesday in Germany’s worst flooding in living memory, police said.
In Rhineland-Palatinate state alone, police reported 110 dead and 670 injured.
At least 27 people have also lost their lives in neighbouring Belgium.
Rescue crews in both countries were sifting through rubble to seek out victims and survivors, often in dangerous conditions.
The historic downpours also battered Switzerland, Luxembourg and therefore the Netherlands.
As the waters began to recede in Rhineland-Palatinate and neighbouring North-Rhine Westphalia (NRW), concern shifted south to Germany’s Upper Bavaria region, where heavy rains inundated basements and led rivers and creeks late Saturday to burst their banks.
One person died in Berchtesgadener Land, a spokeswoman for the Bavarian district told AFP.
And within the eastern state of Saxony, authorities reported a “significant risk situation” in several villages near the Czech border.
In Austria, emergency workers within the Salzburg and Tyrol regions were on high alert for flooding. The historic town centre of Hallein, near the German frontier, was under water.
Merkel has called the floods a “tragedy” and pledged support from the federal for Germany’s stricken municipalities.
Speaking alongside US President Joe Biden at the White House on Thursday, Merkel said her “heart goes bent all of these who during this catastrophe lost their loved ones”.
Her minister of finance , Olaf Scholz, pledged quite 300 million euros ($354 million) in emergency aid for people that lost homes and businesses, with the cupboard to debate a way larger reconstruction package on Wednesday.
‘Sorry’ for laughing
The disaster has increasingly taken on political overtones in Germany, which heads to the polls on September 26 for a election which will mark the top of Merkel’s 16 years in power.
With experts saying global climate change is making extreme weather events like these more likely, candidates vying to succeed the veteran leader have involved more climate action.
Armin Laschet, the premier of hard-hit North-Rhine Westphalia (NRW) state and frontrunner within the race for the chancellery, said efforts to tackle heating should be “speeded up”.
But Laschet, who heads Merkel’s CDU party currently leading in opinion polls, scored an goal Saturday when he was filmed laughing within the devastated town of Erftstadt in NRW, where a landslide was triggered by the floods.
In the footage, Laschet might be seen chatting and joking within the background as President Frank-Walter Steinmeier gave a press release expressing his sympathies to grieving families.
“Laschet laughs while the country cries,” wrote the top-selling Bild daily.
Laschet later apologised on Twitter for the “inappropriate” moment.
Divers, armoured vehicles
The scale of the flood impact was gradually becoming clear in Germany, with damaged buildings being assessed, a number of which can need to be demolished, and efforts under thanks to restore gas, electricity and telephone services.
In some areas, soldiers used armoured vehicles to clear the debris clogging streets.
In NRW, divers were sent in to look submerged homes and vehicles.
Local authorities in NRW and Rhineland-Palatinate said dozens of individuals remain unaccounted for across both states.
They have stressed, however, that disruption to communication networks made a particular assessment difficult, and therefore the real of missing might be lower.
Roger Lewentz, interior minister for Rhineland-Palatinate, said quite 670 people were injured.
“I’ve lived here my whole life, i used to be born here, and i have never seen anything love it ,” said Gregor Degen, a baker within the devastated spa town of Bad Neuenahr-Ahrweiler, near Schuld.
Across the border in Belgium, the death count jumped to 27 with many of us still missing.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Prime Minister Alexander de Croo visited the flooded areas of Rochefort and Pepinster together on Saturday.
“Europe is with you,” von der Leyen tweeted afterwards. “We are with you in mourning and that we are going to be with you in rebuilding.”
German Chancellor to go to Flood-Affected Areas As Death Count Tops 180
Efforts are underway to revive gas, electricity and telephone services in several parts of Germany.
Schuld: Chancellor Angela Merkel is to go to flood-ravaged areas in Germany on Sunday to survey the damage and meet survivors, after days of utmost downpours in western Europe left a minimum of 183 people dead and dozens missing.
Merkel is scheduled to visit the village of Schuld in Rhineland-Palatinate state, one among the 2 hardest-hit regions in western Germany, where the swollen Ahr river caught in a frenzy houses and left debris piled high within the streets.
At least 156 people have died since Wednesday in Germany’s worst flooding in living memory, police said.
In Rhineland-Palatinate state alone, police reported 110 dead and 670 injured.
At least 27 people have also lost their lives in neighbouring Belgium.
Rescue crews in both countries were sifting through rubble to seek out victims and survivors, often in dangerous conditions.
The historic downpours also battered Switzerland, Luxembourg and therefore the Netherlands.
As the waters began to recede in Rhineland-Palatinate and neighbouring North-Rhine Westphalia (NRW), concern shifted south to Germany’s Upper Bavaria region, where heavy rains inundated basements and led rivers and creeks late Saturday to burst their banks.
One person died in Berchtesgadener Land, a spokeswoman for the Bavarian district told AFP.
And within the eastern state of Saxony, authorities reported a “significant risk situation” in several villages near the Czech border.
In Austria, emergency workers within the Salzburg and Tyrol regions were on high alert for flooding. The historic town centre of Hallein, near the German frontier, was under water.
Merkel has called the floods a “tragedy” and pledged support from the federal for Germany’s stricken municipalities.
Speaking alongside US President Joe Biden at the White House on Thursday, Merkel said her “heart goes bent all of these who during this catastrophe lost their loved ones”.
Her minister of finance , Olaf Scholz, pledged quite 300 million euros ($354 million) in emergency aid for people that lost homes and businesses, with the cupboard to debate a way larger reconstruction package on Wednesday.
‘Sorry’ for laughing
The disaster has increasingly taken on political overtones in Germany, which heads to the polls on September 26 for a election which will mark the top of Merkel’s 16 years in power.
With experts saying global climate change is making extreme weather events like these more likely, candidates vying to succeed the veteran leader have involved more climate action.
Armin Laschet, the premier of hard-hit North-Rhine Westphalia (NRW) state and frontrunner within the race for the chancellery, said efforts to tackle heating should be “speeded up”.
But Laschet, who heads Merkel’s CDU party currently leading in opinion polls, scored an goal Saturday when he was filmed laughing within the devastated town of Erftstadt in NRW, where a landslide was triggered by the floods.
In the footage, Laschet might be seen chatting and joking within the background as President Frank-Walter Steinmeier gave a press release expressing his sympathies to grieving families.
“Laschet laughs while the country cries,” wrote the top-selling Bild daily.
Laschet later apologised on Twitter for the “inappropriate” moment.
Divers, armoured vehicles
The scale of the flood impact was gradually becoming clear in Germany, with damaged buildings being assessed, a number of which can need to be demolished, and efforts under thanks to restore gas, electricity and telephone services.
In some areas, soldiers used armoured vehicles to clear the debris clogging streets.
In NRW, divers were sent in to look submerged homes and vehicles.
Local authorities in NRW and Rhineland-Palatinate said dozens of individuals remain unaccounted for across both states.
They have stressed, however, that disruption to communication networks made a particular assessment difficult, and therefore the real of missing might be lower.
Roger Lewentz, interior minister for Rhineland-Palatinate, said quite 670 people were injured.
“I’ve lived here my whole life, i used to be born here, and i have never seen anything love it ,” said Gregor Degen, a baker within the devastated spa town of Bad Neuenahr-Ahrweiler, near Schuld.
Across the border in Belgium, the death count jumped to 27 with many of us still missing.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Prime Minister Alexander de Croo visited the flooded areas of Rochefort and Pepinster together on Saturday.
“Europe is with you,” von der Leyen tweeted afterwards. “We are with you in mourning and that we are going to be with you in rebuilding.”
Belgium has declared Tuesday each day of official mourning.
