Flood of political criticism after the German flood | Voice of America

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German federal officials have been accused of failing to heed a series of warnings from scientists ahead of the devastating flash floods last week. This is the worst since 1962, when 315 Germans were killed by high tides in the North Sea.

The recent flooding that hit Germany’s prosperous Rhineland region surprised many local governments, residents and businesses, despite the initial warning of a possible flooding on July 10. I did it. Moose to break the bank.

German authorities confirmed 155 deaths on Sunday, but expected the death toll to rise as rescue teams continued to search destroyed buildings in search of hundreds of missing residents.

The German and Belgian governments have been warned of possible flooding, according to scientists from the Copernicus Emergency Management Service and the European Flood Recognition System. Belgium has confirmed 27 victims.

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Hannah Cloak, professor of hydrology at the University of Reading in the UK, told AFP:

She added: “The sight of people driving and walking in the deep waters of the flood fills me with horror. It is the most dangerous thing a flood can do. Forecasters say this heavy rain is coming. I issued a warning earlier this week, but the warning still hasn’t been taken seriously and hasn’t been well prepared. That kind of sudden high-energy summer torrential rain is exactly what we would expect in a rapidly hot climate. “

Prime Minister Angela Merkel visited the affected areas and promised a better recovery as large-scale relief efforts continued on Sunday in the worst-affected German regions of Rhineland-Palatinate and North Rhine-Westphalia. .. She held the hand of a sad local politician and later said, “I come here today and symbolize that we stand together. In this beautiful region, we are repairing everything one step at a time. We are moving quickly. Must be. “

On July 18, 2021, fire trucks drive through a debris-lined street after extreme weather events in Bad Neuenard-Ahrweiler, Germany.

Question

Nonetheless, the German media began to question whether the federal government should act sooner before the storm, focusing on the potential political consequences of the floods that destroyed homes and businesses. .. Thousands of people still do not have access to electricity and drinking water.

Officials said the Federal Department of Civil Protection and Disaster Assistance sent an alert to the app about the onset of flooding. However, critics say a small portion of the German population downloaded the app to their smartphones and the local community should have issued a stronger warning to prepare for heavy midweek rains.

The influential tabloid Built accused the agency of a major failure.

“The tsunami came overnight and surprised hundreds of thousands of people,” the newspaper wrote. He says, “The power of the water trapped them in their basements and tore them in flight, even in their homes. Over 100 dead and countless missing are mourned. Note? Sirens? Speaker announcement? “

The tabloids concluded that the warning was “often unavailable or too late”.

Other German media have pointed out that hundreds of people have taken refuge in the basement, the worst place to seek sanctuary.

Hundreds of towns and villages in western Germany have been destroyed. And images of the destruction, shown by national broadcasters and posted on social media sites, surprised Germans.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel (second from right) and Rhineland-Palatinate Chancellor Malu Dreyer (right) were damaged by flooding near Bad Neuenard-Ahrweiler in Germany on July 18, 2021. Talk to locals who have visited the village of Schuld.

The flooding occurred just two months before the federal election to determine Merkel’s successor. She resigned after 16 years in office.

The federal government is preparing emergency aid of $ 354 million. Authorities say the cost of reconstruction will be billions of dollars. Reconstruction costs in 2013 after the Elbe and Donau floods exceeded $ 9 billion.

The ruling Christian Democrat lawmaker hopes a swift federal response will limit the political damage caused by growing accusations of inadequate preparation before the Flood. And they are scrutinizing post-flood polls to see if their reputation deteriorated ahead of the September federal election.

I laughed

Armin Laschet, candidate to succeed Merkel from the Christian Democratic Union, further heightened the concerns of the ruling party. His campaign is not without rants, and he apologizes for seeing President Frank Walter Steinmeier laughing with his assistant in the background when he accompanied him on a visit to the disaster area on Saturday. . I had no choice but to do it.

Rachelte is the Prime Minister of North Rhine-Westphalia.

Armin Laschet, head of the CDU and Prime Minister of North Rhine-Westphalia, was the German president (unseen) during his visit to Erftstadt, Germany, which was affected by a flood on July 17, 2021. Lasched when gave a speech.

He then tweeted his regrets: “I’m sorry this is inappropriate. The plight of those affected is close to our hearts and we have heard it in many conversations. ” Is writing. A photo of Steinmeier joking with his assistant in the background when he made a solemn declaration appears in most major German newspapers.

Rachette’s apology did not appease critics. “This is clearly a big joke,” tweeted leftist opposition Maximilian Lymers. “Why can he be prime minister? “I am speechless,” tweeted Lars Klingvale, general secretary of the left-wing Social Democratic Party, which governs in tandem with the Christian Democratic Party. ..

Rachette, like most key German politicians, has linked the flooding to climate change, but despite shortcomings in recent weeks, the Greens, which are moving strongly in the polls, are the climate action of the Christian Democratic Party. I criticized the plan. They say they don’t go far enough.

This report contains information from AFP.

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