The death toll from severe floods in Germany has risen to 106, German media reported. The number of missing persons is in the thousands. The authorities passed a decree on assistance to the civilian population. One of the top priorities is to restore the electricity supply. More than 100 thousand people were left without electricity.
Roads are under water, cars are washed away by streams, houses are destroyed right before our eyes. More than 100 thousand people in Germany were left without electricity. Thousands of missing persons. The death toll continues to rise.
"You don't expect people to die in Germany as a result of flooding. You expect it, maybe in poor countries, but you don't expect it here in Europe. But it all happened too quickly, too quickly," says German resident Monika Decker …
There is only one question: why was a prosperous and collected Europe not ready for such a disaster? The German authorities are talking about a sharp climate change, which was impossible to predict.
“We in North Rhine-Westphalia are used to floods and storms. But I have never experienced such heavy rains in such a short time, floods that left nothing,” notes the Minister of the Interior of North Rhine-Westphalia Herbert Royle.
“Only by taking a decisive tack on climate change will we be able to keep extreme weather conditions, such as the ones we are experiencing now, within certain limits,” says German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier.
But the European press points to something else. Back in 2019, humanitarian organizations warned that due to reforms and budget cuts, civil defense, firefighters and rescuers were left without resources. In Belgium, there is no professional structure for dealing with emergencies at all. Rescuing the victims here is carried out by fire brigades made up of volunteers, electricians, salesmen, waiters and furniture restorers. Nobody prepared them professionally for such situations.
"It is an illusion that everything can be planned or controlled. On the other hand, we need emergency services that can quickly reorganize, regardless of their daily activities, in the event of a natural disaster," said Antwerp fire brigade commander Bert Brugghemans.
In addition, the situation was aggravated by the system of underground reservoirs, where water is accumulated in Belgium for the habitually dry June.
“In this situation, it turned out that from one side - from the sky - some incredible amount of water, 200 liters per square meter, fell for 48 hours. Streams of water of a terrible force were formed, which demolished houses on their way, - commented on the situation, VGTRK's own correspondent in Europe, Regina Sevostyanova.
The German authorities have already adopted a decree on providing assistance to both citizens and businesses. In Belgium, raising funds for flood victims is calling for the press. The local meteorologist asked the national TV channels to organize a charity evening, as was previously done for victims in other countries.
