Please upgrade your browser to improve your experience Non-members can add the privileges at checkout through our 30 day free trial By continuing I accept the Terms & Condition and Privacy Policy. I would like to receive Newsletter from MICHELIN Guide Save lists of your favorite restaurants & hotels BERLIN (AP) — The death toll from flooding in Western Europe climbed above 180 on Sunday after rescue workers dug deeper into debris left by receding waters Heavy rain fueled new floods in southeastern Germany and Austria though not on the scale of last week's devastating onslaught Police put the toll from the hard-hit Ahrweiler area of western Germany's Rhineland-Palatinate state at more than 110 and said they feared the number may still rise. In neighboring North Rhine-Westphalia state Chancellor Angela Merkel arrived Sunday in Schuld a village located on a curve of the Ahr river that was devastated by the flooding Her visit comes after Germany's president went to the area on Saturday and made clear that it will need long-term support Finance Minister Olaf Scholz said he will propose a package of immediate aid at a Cabinet meeting on Wednesday telling the Bild am Sonntag newspaper that more than 300 million euros ($354 million) will be needed And he said that officials must start setting up a rebuilding program which Pope Francis offered a prayer for the flood victims and for support of the "efforts of all to help those who suffered great damage." Officials in the Ahrweiler area asked people not to make any more donations in kind for now Police said "the overwhelming willingness to help" had left storage facilities for clothes and food full Although rain has stopped in the worst-affected areas of Germany storms and downpours have persisted in other parts of western and central Europe There was flooding Saturday night in the German-Czech border area across the country from where last week's floods hit and in Germany's southeastern corner and over the border in Austria About 130 people were evacuated from their homes in Germany's Berchtesgaden area after the Ache River swelled The railway line to Berchtesgaden was closed A flash flood swept through the nearby Austrian town of Hallein late Saturday parts of the town of Kufstein were flooded Heavy rain and storms caused serious damage in several parts of Austria Climate scientists say the link between extreme weather and global warming is unmistakable and the urgency to do something about climate change undeniable Scientists can't yet say for sure whether climate change caused the flooding but they insist that it certainly exacerbates the extreme weather that has been on show around the world Germany — The highest ranking officer in the German army on Thursday publicly lamented years of fiscal neglect and the army’s deteriorating readiness and NATO allies mobilize in response to Russian aggression in Ukraine is more or less standing bare,” Mais wrote Mais’ comments Thursday morning came ahead of Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht’s announcement that Germany’s defense forces were being placed on national alert in preparation for a possible NATO deployment But Mais cast doubt on Germany’s capabilities “The options we can offer policymakers to support the Alliance are extremely limited,” Mais wrote Mais is responsible for 60,000 soldiers and supporting materiel in his service It wasn’t a lack of foresight that caught the army off guard effectively criticized the decisions made by his country’s leadership in recent years “We all saw it coming and were unable to penetrate with our arguments to draw and implement the conclusions of the annexation of Crimea,” he wrote While no NATO member nation has been attacked as part of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine allies who fell under Soviet domination during the Cold War “feel the constantly growing pressure,” Mais wrote is the time to leave the Afghanistan mission behind us structurally and materially and to reposition ourselves?” he wrote we will not be able to implement our constitutional mandate and our alliance obligations with any prospect of success.” who served as former Chancellor Angela Merkel’s defense minister until last year also expressed regret Thursday over the German military’s lack of preparedness to counter Russia “I’m so angry at ourselves for our historical failure we have not prepared anything that would have really deterred (Vladimir) Putin,” Kramp-Karrenbauer wrote in a Twitter post German law under the Soldier’s Act of 2005 places limits on free speech by service members It was not immediately clear whether Mais will face consequences for his remarks “There is nothing to add to the statements made by the Inspector of the Army on LinkedIn,” a German army spokeswoman told Stars and Stripes by email on Thursday It was not the first time the German army’s most senior uniformed leader has spoken out Mais said in an interview that not a single brigade-sized unit in the German army was ready for deployment the exchange with our closest allies is all the more important,” Mais wrote on Twitter on Thursday Mais’ frank comments also come a day after he joined units throughout Germany during the army’s first “Day of Values,” held on Wednesday Service members conducted group discussions about the services’ core values The effort was launched to improve personnel development by refocusing soldiers on the German constitution “At (the day’s) core was the question ‘What do we serve for?’” he wrote on LinkedIn “It has never been easier to make this clear to the generation that did not live through the Cold War.” Please enable JS and disable any ad blocker CDU leader Armin Laschet caught laughing on camera as president delivered solemn address More flash-floods have devastated towns in Austria, Bavaria and eastern Germany, as the frontrunner to replace the chancellor, Angela Merkel was forced to apologise after seeming to make light of a catastrophic situation that has claimed the lives of more than 150 people The Alpine district of Berchtesgadener Land declared a state of emergency on Saturday evening after heavy rainfall led to flooded streets and landslides Across the border in Austria a brook swollen with rainwater flooded the historic centre of the town of Hallein upending cars and inundating ground-floor shops told the broadcaster ORF the floods had caused millions of euros-worth of damages Water flows over a square in front of a house in Bischofswiesen Photograph: Kilian Pfeiffer/APSeveral towns in the hilly eastern German region of Saxon Switzerland were also cut off and train services to the Czech Republic disrupted Rainfall in the catchment basin of the Kirnitzsch and Sebnitz tributaries exceeded 100 litres a sq metre over the course of 24 hours leading the waters to break the rivers’ banks On Wednesday and Thursday, a near-stationary low-pressure weather system over parts of western Germany brought intense rainfall and floods that claimed the lives of at least 110 people in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate and a further 45 in North-Rhine Westphalia (NRW) The conservative frontrunner to step into her shoes, Armin Laschet, the leader of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), on Thursday interrupted a party meeting to attend flood-hit areas in NRW, the populous western state he represents as premier. Read moreWhile visiting the devastated town of Erftstadt where an eroded gravel quarry had swallowed cars Laschet was on Saturday caught sharing jokes with bystanders while the German president the general secretary of the centre-left Social Democratic party (SPD) called Laschet’s behaviour “lacking in decency and appalling” The broadcaster WDR commented that every election campaign offered a few moments “in which the candidates show their true colours” Laschet tweeted an apology on Saturday afternoon which we heard about in many conversations “So I regret all the more the impression that arose from a conversational situation The Green party’s candidate for chancellor who has struggled to centre the national conversation around ecological issues after a strong start to her campaign cut short her holiday to visit affected areas but declined to be accompanied by the press Merkel is scheduled to travel on Sunday to one of the two hardest-hit regions in western Germany the village of Schuld in Rhineland-Palatinate state.