Germany weighs the human, economic and political damage of the floods

[ad_1]

A view of the disaster-stricken area after a severe rainstorm and flash floods hit the states of Rhineland-Palatinate and North Rhine-Westphalia in the town of Bad Münsträfel in Euskirchen, Germany on July 18, 2021.

Anadolu Agency | Anadolu Agency | Getty Images

Cleanup has barely begun after widespread flooding in Germany and abroad, but the costs already – human and economic – are enormous, and there are likely to be political repercussions, too.

Floods caused by torrential rains and overflowing rivers devastated towns across West Germany and Belgium, as well as in Austria, and parts of the Netherlands, Switzerland, and Luxembourg. Flood risks remain high in some areas after more rain this weekend.

German news agency Deutsche Welle reported on Monday that in Germany alone, with floods affecting the regions of North Rhine-Westphalia and Rhineland-Palatinate in particular, more than 150 people have been reported killed, and there are more deaths across Europe as well as hundreds of people still missing. .

Politicians attributed the extreme weather that led to the floods to climate change, while the German weather service stated on Twitter that “with global warming, extreme weather events are becoming more violent and arguably more frequent.” She added that Germany’s extreme weather was part of a trend, “even if one had to check in each case, and if so, what part of climate change actually played a role.”

In the Rhineland-Palatinate, two brothers weep in each other’s arms in front of their parents’ house, which was destroyed by a flood.

Image Alliance | Image Alliance | Getty Images

Officials are visiting affected areas, speaking to the many who have lost their homes, possessions, and, in some cases, loved ones. German Chancellor Angela Merkel visited the Rhineland-Palatinate over the weekend and described the situation as “surreal” and “terrifying”.

“Germany is a strong country,” Merkel said, according to DW. “We will confront this force of nature in the short term but also in the medium and long term…we have to hurry and we have to accelerate the fight against climate change,” he added.

Weigh costs

German Finance Minister Olaf Schulz, who described the scale of the devastation as “enormous”, told Bild am Sonntag newspaper that at least 300 million euros (£353.1 million) in emergency aid would be provided to help in the near term. He pledged billions of billions for a “reconstruction program so that damaged homes, roads and bridges can be repaired quickly,” the newspaper reported on Sunday.

Mutual recriminations have already begun in Germany, with controversy over what action was taken after early warning systems predicted days of heavy rain before the floods. The German Weather Service said it had issued warnings in advance, but no action appeared to be taken on them at the local level.

Meanwhile, meteorologists have called for a more standardized warning system in Europe in a bid to prevent further disasters caused by severe weather.

Steve Bowen, managing director and chief of disaster insight and impact forecasting at Aon, told CNBC Monday that the “unprecedented” severe weather should spur efforts to make sure the area is better prepared for the future.

“This event was really unprecedented in many ways. We heard from a lot of local weather agencies in Germany and other parts of western and central Europe where the level of rainfall we saw in the 24-48 hours was more than many of them ever recorded.”

Bowen said it’s now critical to identify areas at risk, and “in terms of infrastructure investment and early warning detection, to make sure people are aware that these big events are on the way and what they need to do very quickly to look for safety.” He added that this was a “global problem”.

political repercussions

“It will take some time to gauge the full impact of the devastating floods,” said Karsten Brzeski, global head of macro at ING, in his assessment of the economic and political impact of the floods with the federal elections next September.

“Often, the macroeconomic impact does not compare to human suffering,” he said in a note on Monday, but stressed that “in Germany, this would not be the first time that a natural disaster has become a political game-changing agent.”

In the Rhineland-Palatinate, food is available at the fire station for people affected by floods.

Image Alliance | Image Alliance | Getty Images

“With two more months until the federal election, such natural disasters can have a critical impact on setting trends, both in terms of the personal appearances of key candidates and the hot topics of the final months of the campaign,” Dunn is.

Flooding may affect the chances of the ruling CDU candidate after Armin Laschet (Minister-President of North Rhine-Westphalia) was seen laughing in the background of a press conference on German flood victims.

The Green Party may be an obvious contender to cash in on voters’ growing concerns about climate change, but the party has struggled several months after a plagiarism scandal engulfed its leader, Annalena Barbock.

Karsten Brzeski added that while “the Greens cannot take advantage of the visible consequences of climate change, their role as an opposition party does not provide nice television imagery in the crisis arena. The Greens will have to wait until the end of the impending crisis management, in the hope of a more open discussion.” fundamental about how to address (the impact) of climate change.”

.

[ad_2]