It is the government’s first major flood balance – and apparently the federal and state governments are very satisfied with their work, despite failures and catastrophic mishaps!
Above all, one sentence in the 20-page paper (available from BILD) from the Ministry of the Interior and the Ministry of Finance leaves you speechless.
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On page 10 it says: “The system of civil protection with clear municipal responsibility and growing support from districts, states and the federal government has basically proven to be sustainable and efficient in this long-lasting flood situation, but will nonetheless be considered in the context of an evaluation process . “
Load-bearing and efficient – what do you mean?
The balance of the flood of the century reads partly like sheer horror:
► 183 dead!
► Total damage of more than 30 billion euros! Private households account for 14 billion euros of this.
► In Rhineland-Palatinate alone, 65,000 people were affected by the flood.
► In the Ahrweiler district, 62 of the 75 bridges are damaged or completely destroyed!
It is also completely incomprehensible that most of the auxiliaries (armed forces, federal police, etc.) have already withdrawn. According to the balance sheet, only just under 1000 THW workers are still in use.
The village of Schuld is at the center of the flood disaster: when the river Ahr overflowed its banks, the masses of water tore dozens of houses and entire streets with it. The place was cut off from the outside world for daysPhoto: CHRISTOF STACHE / AFP
The flood victims complain, inter alia. about night looting. And Chancellor Angela Merkel (67, CDU) had promised on her last visit to the flood zone in early September: “We will not forget you.”
Politicians are accordingly outraged by the self-satisfied tone of the balance sheet. CSU interior expert Michael Kuffer (49) to BILD: “The families of 183 fatalities and 800 injured must see this as pure mockery!”
That is the record of the flood victims
Katharina (37, office worker) and Thomas Dederich (39) from Walporzheim: “The alarm on July 14th did not work at all. That failure was the worst. 90 percent of the help came from volunteers. There are people here who cannot eat or shower at home. It is still a disaster and we think it should be treated that way. “
Katharina (37, office worker) and Thomas Dederich (39)Photo: Karsten Socher Photography / www.
Reinhold Balter (63), truck driver from Altenburg: “That pisses me off! We could have been warned beforehand. The water needed four hours from Müsch to Altenburg. The people here didn’t have to drown. If they had only gone 100 meters up the mountain, then they would have been out of danger. Without private helpers we would still be stuck in the crap. We would be lost! “
Reinhold Balter (63)Photo: Karsten Socher Photography / www.
Udo Rössel (61, product developer in the food industry) from Kreuzberg: “From my point of view, nothing has been planned to deal appropriately with a disaster. I don’t think we were on the politicians’ screen at all. Those responsible at THW should have made a personal impression – maybe some things would have worked better then. “
Udo Rössel (61, product developer in the food industry)Photo: Karsten Socher Photography / www.
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