Belgium, Netherlands and France also hit by deadly flooding
July 16, 2021
Germany's neighbors have been similarly hit by devastating floods. Along the Maas River, thousands of residents have been urged to vacate their homes.
Floodwaters sweep Spa, Belgium as western Europe roils under sodden weatherImage: Valentin Bianchi/AP/picture alliance
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As Germany counted its losses from heavy flooding on Friday, neighboring countries were similarly affected.
Dutch authorities ordered 10,000 residents of Maastricht city and adjacent villages to evacuate homes along the river Maas Thursday evening as rainy weather still circulated over western Europe, code-named low pressure zone "Bernd."
King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima also visited the hard-hit town of Valkenburg, east of Maastricht, where floodwaters had inundated homes and businesses.
In adjacent Belgium, where the Vesdre River had spilled its banks at Pepinster in the Walloon region, three elderly people were missing after a small rescue boat used by firefighters capsized.
"Unfortunately, they were quicky engulfed," said Mayor Philippe Godin. "I fear they are dead."
Highways were still inundated in southern and eastern parts of Belgium. Trains were halted, with Luttich's rail station closed from midday Thursday.
All municipalities along Belgium's Meuse River were evacuated after flooding around Limbourg, according to local reporters.
Interior Minister Annelies Verlinden activated the EU's catastrophe mechanism. Assistance was offered by France, Italy and Austria.
Luxembourg set up a crisis panel to respond to emergencies triggered by heavy rains.
Prime Minister Xavier Bettel said "several homes" had been flooded and were "no longer inhabitable".
Mass destruction as floods sweep across western Germany
Intense flooding caused about 200 casualties and extensive destruction throughout Western Germany
Image: Christoph Reichwein/TNN/dpa/picture alliance
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.
Image: Christoph Reichwein/TNN/dpa/picture alliance
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.
Image: Sascha Schuermann/Getty Images
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.
Image: Thomas Lohnes/Getty Images
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.
Image: Harald Tittel/dpa/picture alliance
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.
Image: Sebastien Bozon/Getty Images/AFP
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.
Image: Wolfgang Rattay/AFP/Getty Images
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.
Image: Abdulhamid Hosbas/AA/picture alliance
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In northeastern France, rainwater flooded vegetable fields, many homes, and a World War I museum at Romagne-sous-Montfaucon. Firefighters evacuated people from campgrounds.
Record rainfalls, river levels
The Aire River rose to its highest levels in 30 years in some areas, reported L'Est Republicain newspaper.
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The French national weather service said two months of average rain had fallen in just two days.
Wetteronline, a Bonn-based weather forecaster, said 24-hour records broken included Kall-Sistig in Germany's western Eifel region, where 145 liters per square meter fell. Near Cologne, 154 liters was recorded within 24 hours.
Mojib Latif, a veteran German climatologist based at the Geomar Helmholtz-Center said industrialized society's ability to adapt to weather fluctuations was nearing breakdown.
Historically human beings were used to relatively stabile climatic conditions, but weather events were now happening at a speed "that has never occurred before" Latif told Friday's edition of the Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung newspaper.
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