“Water from the sky and from the rivers”, this is how a young German described the bad weather disaster that scourged Germany, hit southern Belgium, Luxembourg and Holland. Although less serious, the alert also affects Switzerland. The alert remains today with various cities under observation. Despite the difficulty, the toll worsened reaching the apocalyptic figure of 153 victims overall: 133 in Germany in the two regions of Rhineland-Palatinate and North Rhine-Westphalia; 20 in Belgium in Wallonia but the situation is constantly evolving. In particular, the situation has worsened in Belgium in Wallonia, in the Liège area. In Holland, a dam broke in the province of Limburg and the population was evacuated.
The flood has devastated houses, cars and people with rain and mud. There are currently 1.300 missing in the Ahrweiler region of western Germany. People of whom there is no more news, hopefully due to the blackout in communications: fixed lines but also mobile lines and electricity have gone haywire. Electricity supplies were cut off for at least 165.000 people, according to the first figures available. Particularly in Germany and Belgium, roads have turned into rivers that have swept away cars and caused houses to collapse.
Bad weather, as we said, also affected Luxembourg e Villages Low, where some districts of Maastricht have been evacuated. France was also hit, in a less serious form. Alerts have been issued in numerous cities and countries: Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Zurich, Brussels, Lyon, Grenoble Strasbourg, Basel, Gievra, Bern, Lille, Ghent, Antwerp, Liège, Calais, Dunkirk, Dijon, Reims, Metz, Mulhouse, Charleroi , Beaune and Lausanne.
Angela Merkel, engaged in Washington on her latest state visit to the US for bilateral talks with Joe Biden, suspended her mission to speak from the American capital and personally express condolences for the victims. “It is a tragedy,” said the chancellor without downsizing. “Those are hours when talking about heavy rain and flooding inadequately describes the situation. It really is a catastrophe,” Merkel insisted. “I am shocked by the news that reaches me from places submerged in water, where people in great distress are saved or are saved. Every effort will be made to find the missing ”, she added, promising among other things the necessary aid for reconstruction, in a context of incalculable damage for now.
There is no lack, even in the heat, of controversies in several directions. This time the local and regional public TVs have ended up under accusation - reports the BILD – for not having given timely news and warnings about what was happening last night. And in the debate on climate disruption and government inaction the Suddeustche Zetiung commented that what is happening is shocking, yes, "but not surprising."
Updated at 09:17am on Saturday 17th July 2021
