German leaders join memorial service for flood victims

Germany’s head of state, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, said Germany mourned alongside the friends and relatives of the more than 180 people who lost their lives in July’s catastrophic flooding.

Speaking at a service in the western city of Aachen, the president said the events were evidence that Germany must do its utmost to fight climate change.

What was the president’s message?

Steinmeier said the floods had swept away everything: “People, houses, bridges, roads, schools, city halls, churches, cemeteries.”

“We are thinking people who have lost everything in the floods: their homes, their possessions, their memories, their dreams of life,” said the president.

The disaster took Germany by surprise, he said, at a moment “when we hoped we would finally get the pandemic under control — But then a new disaster struck.”

German Chancellor Angela Merkel joined the ceremony in Aachen cathedral

He expressed his deepest condolences to people who lost loved ones in Germany and in neighboring countries. “We mourn with you today,” he said.

While Germany was worst hit by the flooding — which followed a period of intense rainfall — dozens also died in Belgium and thousands were forced to flee their homes in the Netherlands. Parts of France, Luxembourg and Switzerland were also badly affected.

‘We must learn lessons’

It was a painful realization, he said, “that we have perhaps lulled ourselves into a false sense of security.”

He warned that the coronavirus pandemic, he warned that the response to the recent experience could not be “simply back to business as usual.”

“We must learn lessons from this double disaster experience and better prepare ourselves for future crises.”

This, he said, included combating climate change with all determination. The president said it was clear that the consequences had reached Europe, as evidenced this summer by the devastating rainfall and wildfires around the Mediterranean.

The German president expressed his gratitude for the “overwhelming willingness to help” and thanked emergency and technical relief personnel.

Chancellor Angela Merkel and Bundestag President Wolfgang Schäuble, the leader of Germany’s parliament joined the ceremony at Aachen cathedral, where survivors and emergency workers also spoke.

• Mass destruction as floods sweep across western Germany

  Houses collapsed, people trapped on roofs

  Heavy rainfalls and storms pounded Germany’s western states and caused rivers to burst their banks, inundating towns and villages. Torrential overflow swept away vehicles, destroyed roads and bridges and reduced some houses to rubble. Some survivors were trapped on their rooftops for hours before they were airlifted by helicopters.

• Mass destruction as floods sweep across western Germany

  once-in-a-century floods

  The flood’s damage and death toll—about 200 dead—made it one of the deadliest disasters to hit the country in more than half a century. During the height of the flooding, some 1,300 people were reported missing in just one German district, Ahrweiler.

• Mass destruction as floods sweep across western Germany

  Shuttered roads

  Phone and power lines are still down in some areas, at least two highway roads need fundamental repair. The damage to infrastructure hampered immediate rescue efforts and threatened to leave the affected regions facing a long and difficult road to recovery.

• Mass destruction as floods sweep across western Germany

  Rescue workers face danger

  At least four firefighters in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia lost their lives during rescue operations since flooding began Wednesday, according to Bernd Schneider, chairman of the NRW Firefighters Association.

• Mass destruction as floods sweep across western Germany

  Dams threaten to burst

  Dams across the region reached their capacities and threaten to overflow amid the massive rainfall. The flood, damaged water facilities and created a water shortage in some regions.

• Mass destruction as floods sweep across western Germany

  A terrifying situation

  Chancellor Angela Merkel visited the badly-hit town of Schuld, personally surveying the damage and speaking to residents and emergency workers. She described the situation as “terrifying” and called for more to be done to tackle climate change in the wake of the floods.

• Mass destruction as floods sweep across western Germany

  Army deployed to help out

  Over a thousand soldiers and more than 200 military vehicles have been deployed in western Germany over the last few days, as volunteers line up to help flood victims. As the water begins to recede, questions are emerging over whether residents received timely warnings before the floods. Critics say that if the country was adequately prepared for disaster, the loss would have been much less.

‘Glimmer of hope’

Renate Steffes, a resident of the town of Bad Neuenahr-Ahrweiler, said her life has been “shaken” by the “horrific experiences” of the flooding. The town lies on the worst-hit of all river valleys, the Ahrtal.

“There are hardly words that can begin to describe what the events on the night of July 14-15 felt like for me,” she said.

Catholic Bishop Georg Bätzing, chairman of the German Bishops’ Conference, said he saw “a glimmer of hope” after so many people had offered help to affected communities and individuals.

“It takes time for experiences to subside, for loss and injuries to be dealt with,” he said. “Mourning for those we lost takes time, and it takes an incredible amount of strength to rebuild and start again.”

The state premiers of the two German states most affected by the floods were also present — Rhineland-Palatinate’s state premier Malu Dreyer and her North Rhine-Westphalian counterpart Armin Laschet.

Laschet, who heads Merkel’s conservative Christian Democrats and who is the party’s candidate to replace her after next month’s federal elections, had garnered criticism in the wake of the flooding.

He was caught on camera laughing in the background as Steinmeier discussed the deadly flooding in a television address from the affected area.

Earlier this month, federal and state leaders agreed to a €30-billion ($35.2-billion) reconstruction fund for the regions that were hit.

rc/mm (dpa, AFP, KNA, AP)

Article source: https://www.dw.com/en/german-leaders-join-memorial-service-for-flood-victims/a-59011579?maca=en-rss-en-all-1573-rdf