Fatal Flooding in Germany

Claire Thomson

---

Extreme, record-breaking rainfall has caused fatal flooding and devastation to areas across Western Europe. Many have died, hundreds are injured, and masses still remain missing. Following a spout of torrential downpours, rivers across Germany, Belgium, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Switzerland burst their banks, leading to widespread flooding. In Germany, the states of Rhineland-Palatinate and North Rhine-Westphalia have suffered the most. According to Deutscher Wetterdienst, the German meteorological service, between 12 and 15 July, more than 182 millimetres of rain fell in 72 hours in some areas. Köln-Stammheim an area of the city Cologne in West Germany, was one of the most impacted by the extreme weather. Experiencing more than 153 millimetres of rain on 14 July. Almost six times higher than the average heaviest rainfall days for the area in July. The European Flood Awareness System released alerts of life-threatening floods in advance.

Consequences of the Flooding

As of 22 July 2021, a week after the adverse weather events, at least 171 people were confirmed as dead as a consequence of the flooding, with another 176 people injured and 155 people still unaccounted for. Of those having died, 123 were in the worst-affected state of Rhineland-Palatinate, where houses had been carried by the water and debris accumulating in the middle of roads and streets. A supposed 40,000 were affected by the floods. Catastrophes included: a loss of access to clean drinking water, electricity and gas; the collapsing and complete submersion of buildings and vehicles; and landslides leaving sinkholes. Westnetz, Germany’s largest power distribution grid, announced on 15 July, at the height of the flooding, that 200,000 homes in North Rhine-Westphalia and Rhineland-Palatinate were without power. Repairs to the network would not be possible until infrastructures, such as roads, were cleared of waste and debris, and repaired. Additionally, on 15 July, Deutsche Bahn cancelled and suspended several rail services within the worst-affected areas. Reporting that over 600 kilometres of track was affected in North Rhine-Westphalia, and several city-to-city connection lines were closed. Along the Ahr Valley Railway, at least seven railway bridges were destroyed. The train connection from Dresden to Prague in East Germany was also affected after mudslides buried the tracks. Train lines that remained open suffered lengthy delays and cancellations, with people asked to avoid train travel in the area. The German Insurance Association has estimated that the floods have resulted in damages costing between four and five billion euros.

Response

Approximately 15,000 police, soldiers and emergency service workers have been deployed in Germany to assist with the search and rescue. Divers have also been sent in to search for missing people in submerged properties and vehicles, with the German military using armoured vehicles to begin clearing away the wreckages. German Chancellor, Angela Merkel, gave her condolences to the families of the people of are dead and missing, stating that she is shocked by the devastation. Malu Dreyer, the minister-president of the Rhineland-Palatinate state, also expressed his disbelief at the disaster. On 16 July, the German Ministry of Defence declared a state of emergency in the worst-affected areas with Angela Merkel approving emergency financial aid with around 200 million euros for those affected by the flooding.

---

Featured image courtesy of Francesco Luca Labianca on Unsplash. Image license found here. No changes were made to this image.