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Please upgrade your browser or activate Google Chrome Frame to improve your experience A photovoltaic system on the roof of a warehouse caught fire in the northern German town of Norden triggering a large-scale operation by the volunteer fire department that lasted for hours and involved the use of two water cannons on Monday a garage in the area of ​​a PV system caught fire The fire brigade in Norden was on site for around seven hours to fight the fire and finally uninstall modules From pv magazine Germany the Norden fire department in East Frisia received an emergency call the roof of a warehouse in the town was on fire and several of its PV system's solar modules were also burning in the middle section of the approximately 100-meter-long hall “Although the fire was manageable in size the extinguishing work was complex and time-consuming,” explained the Norden volunteer fire department on its website The energy supplier EWE disconnected the PV system from the grid but the modules continued to produce electricity and kept reigniting the fire which caused further sources of fire and also posed a risk to the emergency services,” the report continued when the emergency services investigated the hall they found that the fire had also spread to the wooden roof structure The spread of the fire under the glass solar modules could be easily observed using a drone with a thermal imaging camera The fire brigade then used two water cannons The extinguishing measures were also carried out in a targeted manner with the help of the drone and two turntable ladders The fire brigade then also got support from a local electrician He recommended uninstalling the damaged parts of the PV system to prevent another fire they began to dismantle the solar modules on the roof The solar modules were then transported to the ground using a crane and pallet gripper from a building materials dealer The operation on site lasted around seven hours Around 100 emergency service personnel were on site Experts and police are now trying to determine the cause of the fire and quantify the damage caused There was also a fire in Erftstadt Scheuren near Cologne on Monday Much less information is available on this so far “The garage burned down completely in the area of ​​a photovoltaic system,” said the Erftstadt fire department on its Facebook page Around 50 emergency services were on site and were able to prevent the fire from spreading to the main building A request from pv magazine for further details and whether there was a battery storage system on site initially remained unanswered More articles from Sandra Enkhardt Please be mindful of our community standards and website in this browser for the next time I comment Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value" By submitting this form you agree to pv magazine using your data for the purposes of publishing your comment Your personal data will only be disclosed or otherwise transmitted to third parties for the purposes of spam filtering or if this is necessary for technical maintenance of the website Any other transfer to third parties will not take place unless this is justified on the basis of applicable data protection regulations or if pv magazine is legally obliged to do so You may revoke this consent at any time with effect for the future in which case your personal data will be deleted immediately your data will be deleted if pv magazine has processed your request or the purpose of data storage is fulfilled Further information on data privacy can be found in our Data Protection Policy Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_2" ).setAttribute( "value" This website uses cookies to anonymously count visitor numbers. View our privacy policy. × The cookie settings on this website are set to "allow cookies" to give you the best browsing experience possible If you continue to use this website without changing your cookie settings or you click "Accept" below then you are consenting to this Close Residents of Erftstadt struggle to comprehend how their familiar landscape became treacherous terrain Anatoli Neugebauer is standing just a hundred metres from his family home at the edge of the Blessem district of Erftstadt a commuter-belt town 12 miles (20km) south of Cologne Even though flood waters from the Erft River had begun to recede by midday on Friday he still had to wade through waist-high brown water just to get inside the stuccoed terrace house “It’s completely indescribable,” says Neugebauer “I was there twice yesterday trying to save what I could But you open the door and the water’s to your chest and you just wonder Neugebauer was one of the 1,905 residents of the village evacuated on Thursday as the river began to overflow after record rainfall Familiar landscape turned into treacherous terrain: a gravel quarry south of Blessem 40 hectares (99 acres) wide and 60 metres deep its edge expanding towards the town through headward erosion three half-timbered buildings and parts of a castle A huge sinkhole opened up at a gravel quarry south of Blessem Photograph: Rhein-Erft-Kreis Handout/EPALocal authorities are still searching for 15 people they believe to have been inside the houses “We assume there to be fatalities but we don’t know for sure,” says Herbert Reul the interior minister of the state of North-Rhine Westphalia A near-stationary low-pressure weather system brought record levels of rain in the Rhein-Erft-Kreis region until about 9pm on Wednesday Hay and vegetable fields that a few weeks ago were wilting under years of drought conditions were suddenly filled with standing water Basements and ground-floor houses and apartments in the farming region began to flood 1:19Drone footage shows giant sinkhole in German town after deadly floods – video“For a while we thought we would have to evacuate our 200 animals,” says farmer Peter Zens who runs the Gertrudenhof petting zoo in Hürth located halfway between Erftstadt and Cologne “But we spent 18 hours pumping out water through the night brooks and streams that cross the region were beginning to rise “We have the Rotbach brook here that often dries out in the summer,” Zens says “Now it was a foaming stream like the Rhine.” When the river burst its banks the following day it nonetheless caught many in Erftstadt by surprise “We were constantly riding our bikes through town watching as the river waters grew higher,” says Neugebauer but when we saw the trucks on Luxemburger Strasse underwater we packed up the car and the kids and went to a family in the next town over.” A flooded road in Erftstadt-Blessem Photograph: Action Press/Rex/ShutterstockWater along Luxemburger Strasse the main thoroughfare connecting Erftstadt to Cologne throwing vehicles up against guardrails and along the crumbling walls of the on-ramp Parts of the A1 motorway outside the town crumbled and collapsed into the Erft Neugebauer says they had left before receiving any official evacuation orders Officials say many others in the town did not heed the warning to leave Police say they used boats to rescue about 50 people from their homes Storms and floods are nothing new in Rhein-Erft-Kreis an area dotted with opencast mines historically used to extract brown coal When the owners of the Blessem gravel quarry applied for an expansion in 2015 local authorities granted their request on the condition they would build a 1.2km protective wall to prevent the pit from filling with water in the event of a flood But the kind of extreme weather events the world is seeing with increasing frequency come with unpredictable consequences The protective wall between the gravel pit and the Erft proved ineffective as the water overflowed higher up the river gushing through the streets of the town before collecting at the lowest point Wrecked cars in Erftstadt-Blessem Photograph: Sascha Steinbach/EPAMatthias Habel a Bonn-based geographer who studied flood protection measures in the area as part of his degree says the catastrophic outcome of the floods would not come as a surprise to those familiar with the situation on the ground “Where the Erft passes Erftstadt it is no longer a naturally flowing river but more like an artificially straightened canal,” Habel tells the Guardian “It flows much faster here than elsewhere and lacks the natural floodplains that could deal with overflow.” other than soldiers trying in vain to keep onlookers at bay a redbrick building was missing its bottom floors the walls hanging precariously over the flood water Water was oil-slicked and the smell of gas hung in the air Improvised bags of potting soil and sandbox sand had failed to keep the flood from seeping past: water marks on the older brick buildings showed it reaching at least over a metre high People from nearby villages arrived to check on their neighbours “It’s absolutely shocking,” one young couple said “We drive through here every day and it’s unlike anything we’ve ever seen.” We cannot even assess the scale of the damage yet,” says Carolin Weitzel was evacuated after a landslide spreading from a nearby quarry created a huge crater that reached the edge of the town Streets were smashed and covered with water and mud Cars were carried away by the torrents and turned upside down The contents of family homes became piles of muddy rubbish Even the crosses at the local cemetery were submerged under water This article appeared in the Europe section of the print edition under the headline “After the floods” Discover stories from this section and more in the list of contents George Simion will face Nicusor Dan, a mainstream candidate, in a run-off There are five luxuries it can no longer feasibly afford 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No. 236383 | Registered office: The Adelphi, 1-11 John Adam Street, London, WC2N 6HT | VAT Reg No: GB 340 436 876 Rescue crews tried to reach residents by boat or helicopter and had to communicate via walkie-talkie."The network has completely collapsed Nursing homes had to be evacuated," a spokeswoman for the regional government of Cologne said.Authorities worried that further dams could overflow spilling uncontrolled floods into communities below and were trying to ease pressure by releasing more water.Some 4,500 people were evacuated downstream from the Steinbachtal dam in western Germany which had been at risk of a breach overnight and a stretch of motorway was closed.REINFORCING DIKESThousands of residents in the north of Limburg province in neighbouring Netherlands were ordered to leave their homes early Friday as floodwaters peaked.Emergency services were on high alert and authorities were also reinforcing dikes along vulnerable stretches where floodwaters continue to rise.Waters were receding in the southern city of Maastricht where there was no flooding and in the town of Valkenburg but no one was hurt.France sent 40 military personnel and a helicopter to Liege in Belgium to help with the flood situation Prime Minister Jean Castex said on Twitter."The waters are rising more and more "I've never seen anything like it."In the town of Maaseik the Meuse had risen beyond a retaining wall and was spilling past sandbags placed on top.Several towns and villages were already submerged where around 10 houses partially or fully collapsed.The death toll in Germany is the highest of any natural catastrophe since a deadly North Sea flood in 1962 that killed around 340 people.Floods at the Elbe river in 2002 which at the time were billed by media "once-in-a-century floods" killed 21 people in eastern Germany and more than 100 across the wider central European region.German Interior Minister Horst Seehofer told magazine Spiegel the federal government aimed to provide financial support for the affected regions as quickly as possible adding a package of measures should go to the cabinet for approval on Wednesday.Additional reporting by Riham Alkousaa Phil Blenkinsop; Writing by Maria Sheahan; Editing by Philippa Fletcher Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles., opens new tab , opens new tab Browse an unrivalled portfolio of real-time and historical market data and insights from worldwide sources and experts. , opens new tabScreen for heightened risk individual and entities globally to help uncover hidden risks in business relationships and human networks. © 2025 Reuters. All rights reserved More than 1,000 people are missing in flood-stricken regions of western Germany and Belgium, where waters were still rising with the death toll already well over 100 and communications in some areas cut https://t.co/YkopON0QVg pic.twitter.com/3SqXOjUbng Flooding after torrential rain caused widespread damage in the states of North Rhine-Westphalia and Rhineland-Palatinate from 14 July 2021 According to official statements made on 16 July 2021 43 fatalities have now been reported in North Rhine-Westphalia and at least 60 people have died in flooding in Rhineland-Palatinate Germany’s Civil Protection agency (BBK) said as of 16 July the affected districts include Hagen Städteregion Aachen in North Rhine-Westphalia; Landkreis Ahrweiler Trier-Saarburg and Vulkaneifel in Rhineland-Palatinate; and Hof district in Bavaria power and water infrastructure have been severely damaged As of 16 July there were still an unknown number of people unaccounted for Ahrweiler district of Rhineland-Palatinate Search and rescue operations are continuing The full extent of the damage is still to be confirmed but dozens of homes are thought to have been completely destroyed after rivers broke their banks in particular in Schuld municipality in the district of Ahrweiler Hundreds of troops from the Bundeswehr (German army) have been deployed to help with clean-up operations A series of storms throughout June and July 2021 left ground saturated in affected areas This was followed by heavy rainfall from 12 July Figures from Germany’s weather service Deutscher Wetterdienst (DWD) show at least 7 locations recorded more than 150 mm of rain in 72 hours to 15 July — Landkreis Trier-Saarburg (@LKTrierSaarburg) July 15, 2021 ++ Eilmeldung ++ In #Erftstadt-Blessem sind Häuser massiv unterspült worden und einige eingestürzt. Es werden etliche Personen vermisst. Aus den Häusern kommen Notrufe, aber eine Rettung ist vielfach nicht möglich. Unser Katastrophenschutz ist vor Ort. Fotos: Rhein-Erft-Kreis pic.twitter.com/Waaq3tMciM — BezirksregierungKöln (@BezRegKoeln) July 16, 2021 Richard Davies is the founder of floodlist.com and reports on flooding news Cookies | Privacy | Contacts © Copyright 2025 FloodList You don't have permission to access the page you requested What is this page?The website you are visiting is protected.For security reasons this page cannot be displayed by MSTYSLAV CHERNOV and FRANK JORDANS Associated Press ERFTSTADT, Germany (AP) — They escaped with their lives, but little else remains for some residents of Erftstadt-Blessem after the devastating flood that hit their town and other parts of Germany and neighboring countries last week Authorities allowed families in the town southwest of Cologne to enter their homes for the first time Thursday so they could survey the wreckage and salvage anything important they could find Residents had been kept away from parts of the town for a week amid concern that buildings could collapse due to the large-scale subsidence that resulted in a landslide at a nearby quarry, leaving a vast, gaping hole in the ground. "How does one feel when one loses everything?" Erftstadt-Blessem resident Susanne Dunkel, 70, said. "It's sad." Dunkel, who has lived in Erftstadt for most of her adult life, emptied cupboards full of kitchen equipment made unusable by the stinking mud that seeped into every corner of her home's ground floor and basement. She said she hoped insurance would help cover some of the damage. "There's the washing machine. It's not even 6 months old," she said. Dunkel recounted how her family tried to keep the rising waters of the Erft River at bay, only for a sudden surge to sweep into the building, forcing her to escape through a window. "We've never experienced anything like this," she said. Dunkel, whose son and brother-in-law died in recent months, said her family had to split up while staying with friends and relatives after the flood. She sobbed as she spoke of missing her grandchildren. "They want to come home," she said. "It's terrible. They're normally here with me, with grandma." More than 177 people died in Germany in last week's flooding and a further 31 deaths were reported in Belgium, taking the overall death toll to 208. While nobody was killed in the Netherlands, raging waters caused widespread damage in the southern Dutch province of Limburg. The mayor of the hardest-hit Dutch town, Valkenburg, has said that the tourism center suffered damage to buildings and lost business worth 400 million euros ($472 million). A Dutch investigative panel said Thursday it is launching a preliminary probe into the flooding that will focus on "the safety of citizens who were dependent on decision-making and action by governments" for flood prevention and measures taken during last week's crisis. The cost of the floods in Germany has yet to be determined "but it is immense," Chancellor Angela Merkel said at a news conference in Berlin on Thursday. Her Cabinet approved a roughly 400 million-euro ($472 million) package of immediate aid for flood victims. It promised to get moving quickly on funding plans to rebuild devastated areas, which is expected to cost billions. Still, Merkel cautioned: "We will need a long time to repair all this damage." Germany's national weather service DWD said Thursday that localized storms were again likely in parts of the flood-affected regions from midday Saturday. Back in Erftstadt, friends and neighbors helped affected residents strip their homes of debris in the hope of saving flood-soaked walls and floors. Brigitte Berger wept as she emptied entire cupboards full of possessions, from household goods to cherished mementos. "We're empty," she said. "The memories are gone. There's nothing." Her husband, Heinz Berger, gestured to the remains of their home. "We built everything with our own hands," he said. "It's all gone." Please enable JS and disable any ad blocker BERLIN (AP) — Rescue workers labored to deal with damage laid bare by receding water Saturday as the death toll from disastrous flooding in Western Europe rose above 160 and thoughts turned to the lengthy job of rebuilding communities devastated in minutes. The death toll in western Germany's Rhineland-Palatinate state, home to the badly hit Ahrweiler county, rose to 98. Another 43 people were confirmed dead in neighboring North Rhine-Westphalia state. Belgium’s national crisis center said the country's confirmed death toll rose to 27. Days of heavy rain turned normally minor rivers and streets into raging torrents this week and caused the disastrous flooding that swept away cars, engulfed homes and trapped residents. Immediately after the floods hit on Wednesday and Thursday, German authorities listed large numbers of people as missing — something apparently caused in large part by confusion, multiple reporting and communications difficulties in the affected areas, some of which lacked electricity and telephone service. By Saturday, authorities still feared finding more people dead, but said numbers unaccounted for had dropped constantly, without offering specific figures. In Belgium, 103 people were listed as missing Saturday, but the crisis center said lost or uncharged cellphones and people taken to hospitals without identification who hadn't had an opportunity to contact relatives were believed to be factors in the tally. Meanwhile, the receding floodwaters eased access across much of the affected regions and revealed the extent of the damage. “A lot of people have lost everything they spent their lives building up — their possessions, their home, the roof over their heads,” German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier said after meeting rescue workers and others in the town of Erftstadt. “It may only be possible to clear up in weeks how much damage needs to be compensated,” he said. Steinmeier said that people in the affected areas need continuing support. “Many people here in these regions have nothing left but their hope, and we must not disappoint this hope,” he said. In Erftstadt, a town southwest of Cologne, a harrowing rescue effort unfolded on Friday when the ground in a neighborhood gave way. At least three houses and part of a mansion in the town's Blessem district collapsed. The German military used armored vehicles to clear away cars and trucks overwhelmed by the floodwaters on a nearby road, some of which remained at least partly submerged. Officials feared that some people didn't manage to escape in Erftstadt, but no casualties were confirmed by Saturday afternoon. In the Ahrweiler area, police warned of a potential risk from downed power lines and urged curious visitors to stay away. They complained on Twitter that would-be sightseers were blocking some roads. Around 700 people were evacuated from part of the German town of Wassenberg, on the Dutch border, after the breach of a dike on the Rur river. Visiting Erftstadt with Steinmeier, North Rhine-Westphalia governor Armin Laschet promised to organize aid for those immediately affected “in the coming days.” He said regional and federal authorities would discuss in the coming days how to help rebuilding efforts. Chancellor Angela Merkel's Cabinet plans to discuss the issue on Wednesday. “We will do everything so that what needs to be rebuilt can be rebuilt,” Laschet said. In eastern Belgium, train lines and roads remained blocked in many areas. A cafe owner in the devastated town of Pepinster broke down in tears when King Philippe and Queen Mathilde visited Friday to offer comfort to residents. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo visited flood-damaged towns Saturday. A resident of the Belgian town of Herk-de-Stad said she put off sleeping to try to empty her house of water. “We have been pumping all night long trying to get the water out of the house,” Elke Lenaerts told broadcaster VTM on Saturday. Parts of the southern Netherlands also experienced heavy flooding, though thousands of residents were allowed to return home Saturday morning after being evacuated on Thursday and Friday. Caretaker Prime Minister Mark Rutte, who visited the region on Friday, said that “first, there was corona, now these floods, and soon people will have to work on cleanup and recovery.” "It is disaster after disaster after disaster. But we will not abandon Limburg,” the southern province hit by the floods, he added. His government has declared the flooding a state of emergency, opening up national funds for those affected. Among other efforts to help the flood victims, the Hertog Jan brewery, which is based in the affected area, handed out 3,000 beer crates so locals could raise their belongings off the ground to protect them from the flooding. An emergency dike in the town of Horn didn’t hold and some houses were inundated. Authorities issued a warning to stay off the Maas River because of debris, and rescuers worked to save a cow stuck neck deep in muddy waters. Angela Charlton in Paris and Molly Quell in Amsterdam contributed to this report. Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. Reporting by Madeline Chambers; Editing by Nick Macfie and GVG Rhein-Erft have supplied 100 households in Erftstadt They have found there were no disruptions to systems From pv magazine Germany Since October, TÜV Rheinland and network operator Rheinische Netzgesellschaft (RNG) have been testing the impact of adding 20% of hydrogen to the gas network in Erftstadt the partners drew up an interim balance and found that all connected gas consumption devices were running without any faults the German legislation allowed a hydrogen blend of up to 10% homeowners and businesses were able to use their devices as usual throughout the heating period These did not have to be converted for the changed composition of gas mixture which also had no impact on regular gas network operations The field test is scheduled to last until the end of December A total of 100 households from the districts of Niederberg The districts are particularly well suited for a field test of this type TÜV Rheinland conducted the first-ever field test in Germany on an L-gas network which is distinct from the H-gas network in terms of gas composition and origin has a lower energy content (80-87% methane) and is more cost-effective compared to H-gas which contains 87-99% methane and is higher in energy content and cost and RNG collaborated to introduce hydrogen into the test area in multiple stages they gradually increased the proportion to 15% the gas network has been operating with a 20% hydrogen admixture we exposed all gas-consuming devices in the test area to a test gas containing 23% of hydrogen This enabled us to ensure the suitability of each individual gas appliance in the project area,” explained project manager Mr TÜV Rheinland plans to expand its testing to explore the technical possibilities of a hydrogen admixture of up to 30% in suitable gas networks More articles from Ralph Diermann New research predicts that slow-moving storms with the potential for heavy rainfall just like those that brought deadly flooding to parts of Europe in recent days will become more common there by the end of the century The work conducted by scientists from England's Newcastle University and the United Kingdom's Met Office estimated that these types of storms could happen 14 times more often over land It's already well documented that precipitation has risen in many areas as temperatures have gotten warmer over the past 120 years The new work, recently published in the journal Geophysical Research Letters showed that storms that can produce intense rain may move slower with climate change That means they could sit longer in one place dumping more rainfall to fuel these kinds of extreme flooding events “This study shows that in addition to the intensification of rainfall with global warming we can also expect a big increase in slow-moving storms which have the potential for high rainfall accumulations," Lizzie Kendon a science fellow at the Met Office and a study author "This is very relevant to the recent flooding seen in Germany and Belgium which highlights the devastating impacts of slow-moving storms." (MORE: Death Toll Continues to Rise in Europe Flooding) The storms last week in Europe sat over the central part of the continent for days inundated neighborhoods and left more than 160 people dead Such near-stationary storms aren't currently common in the region The researchers said their study is one of the first to look at changes in the speed of such systems Climate change driven by warmer temperatures impacts extreme weather in different ways around the world While precipitation and flooding are increasing in some areas others are seeing historic drought conditions That's because factors that influence precipitation - things like evaporation ocean currents and local climates - vary from location to location and are affected differently by the warmer atmosphere The scientists that did the study on storms in Europe hope their work sends a signal on the need to curb greenhouse gases and address climate change impacts is the wake-up call we need to produce improved emergency warning and management systems as well as implementing climate change safety factors into our infrastructure designs to make them more robust to these severe weather events,” Hayley Fowler another study author and an engineering professor at Newcastle The Weather Company’s primary journalistic mission is to report on breaking weather news the environment and the importance of science to our lives This story does not necessarily represent the position of our parent company We recognize our responsibility to use data and technology for good We may use or share your data with our data vendors The Weather Channel is the world's most accurate forecaster according to ForecastWatch, Global and Regional Weather Forecast Accuracy Overview The work conducted by scientists from England's Newcastle University and the United Kingdom's Met Office estimated that these types of storms could happen 14 times more often over land It's already well documented that precipitation The new work, recently published in the journal Geophysical Research Letters “This study shows that in addition to the intensification of rainfall with global warming we can also expect a big increase in slow-moving storms which have the potential for high rainfall accumulations,\\\" Lizzie Kendon \\\"This is very relevant to the recent flooding seen in Germany and Belgium which highlights the devastating impacts of slow-moving storms.\\\" (MORE: Death Toll Continues to Rise in Europe Flooding) Such near-stationary storms aren't currently common in the region That's because factors that influence precipitation - things like evaporation as well as implementing climate change safety factors into our infrastructure designs to make them more robust to these severe weather events,” Hayley Fowler The Weather Company’s primary journalistic mission is to report on breaking weather news Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player Police said that more than 90 people are now known to have died in western Germany’s Ahrweiler county, one of the worst-hit areas, and more casualties are feared. On Friday, authorities gave a death toll of 63 for Rhineland-Palatinate state, where Ahrweiler is located. Another 43 people were confirmed dead in neighboring North Rhine-Westphalia state, Germany’s most populous. Belgium’s national crisis center put the confirmed death toll in that country at 24 and said it expects the number to rise. By Saturday, waters were receding across much of the affected regions, laying bare the extent of the damage. German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier planned to travel Saturday to Erftstadt, southwest of Cologne, where a harrowing rescue effort unfolded on Friday as people were trapped when the ground gave way. At least three houses and part of a mansion in the town’s Blessem district collapsed. The German military used armored vehicles Saturday to clear away cars and trucks overwhelmed by the floodwaters on a nearby road, some of which were still at least partly submerged. Officials feared that some people did not manage to escape in Erftstadt, but by Saturday morning, no casualties had been confirmed. In the Ahrweiler area, police warned people of a potential risk from downed power lines and urged curious visitors to stay away. They complained on Twitter that would-be sightseers were blocking some roads. Many areas were still without electricity and telephone service — something that, along with multiple counting in some cases, appeared to have accounted in part for large numbers of missing people that authorities gave immediately after the floods hit Wednesday and Thursday. Around 700 people were evacuated from part of the German town of Wassenberg, on the Dutch border, after the breach of a dike on the Rur river. Train lines and roads remained blocked in many areas of eastern Belgium. The national railway service said traffic would start returning to normal Monday. A cafe owner in the devastated town of Pepinster broke down in tears when King Philippe and Queen Mathilde visited Friday to offer comfort to residents. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo were visiting flood-damaged towns Saturday, according to Belgian state broadcaster RTBF. In addition to worst-hit Germany and Belgium, southern parts of the Netherlands also have been hit by heavy flooding. Volunteers worked through the night to shore up dikes and protect roads. Thousands of residents of the southern Dutch towns of Bunde, Voulwames, Brommelen and Geulle were allowed to return home Saturday morning after being evacuated Thursday and Friday. Subscribe to our free News Alerts newsletter You’re all signed up!Want more of our free, weekly newsletters in your inbox? Let’s get started. Caretaker Prime Minister Mark Rutte, who visited the region Friday, said that the region faced “three disasters.” “First, there was corona, now these floods, and soon people will have to work on cleanup and recovery,” he said. “It is disaster after disaster after disaster. But we will not abandon Limburg,” the southern province hit by the floods. His government has declared the flooding a state of emergency, opening up national funds for those affected. Among other efforts to help the flood victims, Dutch brewery Hertog Jan, which is based in the affected area, handed out 3,000 beer crates to locals to help them raise their belongings off the ground to protect them from the flooding. In Switzerland, heavy rain as caused several rivers and lakes to burst their banks, with authorities in the city of Lucerne closing several pedestrian bridges over the Reuss river. - Geir Moulson, with contributions from Angela Charlton and Molly Quell Police said that more than 90 people are now known to have died in western Germany’s Ahrweiler county, one of the worst-hit areas, and more casualties are feared. Another 43 people were confirmed dead in neighboring North Rhine-Westphalia state. Belgium’s national crisis center put the country’s confirmed death toll at 24 and said it expects the number to rise. Days of heavy rain turned normally minor rivers and streets into raging torrents this week and caused disastrous flooding that swept away cars, destroyed homes and trapped residents. German soldiers check for victims in cars on a flooded road in Erftstadt on Saturday. (Michael Probst / Associated Press) By Saturday, authorities still feared finding more people dead, but said that the number of those who remained unaccounted for had dropped steadily as floodwaters receded across much of the affected regions, easing access and revealing the extent of the damage. “A lot of people have lost everything they spent their lives building up — their possessions, their home, the roof over their heads,” German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier said after meeting rescue workers and others in the town of Erftstadt. World & Nation Politicians and weather forecasters have been shocked at the ferocity of the precipitation that caused deadly flash flooding in Western Europe. Steinmeier said that people in the affected areas are counting on continuing support. “Many people here in these regions have nothing left but their hope, and we must not disappoint this hope,” he said. In Erftstadt, a town southwest of Cologne, a harrowing rescue effort unfolded on Friday when the ground in a neighborhood gave way, At least three houses and part of a mansion in the town’s Blessem district collapsed. The German military used armored vehicles to clear away cars and trucks overwhelmed by the floodwaters on a nearby road, some of which remained at least partly submerged. Officials feared that some people didn’t manage to escape in Erftstadt, but no casualties were confirmed by Saturday afternoon. Around 700 people were evacuated from part of the German town of Wassenberg, on the Dutch border, after the breach of a dike on the Rur River. Visiting Erftstadt with Steinmeier, North Rhine-Westphalia Gov. Armin Laschet promised to organize aid for those immediately affected “in the coming days.” He said regional and federal authorities would discuss in the coming days how to help rebuilding efforts. Chancellor Angela Merkel’s Cabinet plans to discuss the issue on Wednesday. People walk in floodwaters in Pepinster, Belgium, on Saturday. (Virginia Mayo / Associated Press) Across the border in eastern Belgium, train lines and roads remained blocked in many areas. A cafe owner in the devastated town of Pepinster broke down in tears when King Philippe and Queen Mathilde visited Friday to offer comfort to residents. Southern parts of the Netherlands also have been hit by heavy flooding. Volunteers worked through the night to shore up dikes and protect roads. Thousands of residents were allowed to return home Saturday morning after being evacuated on Thursday and Friday. Caretaker Prime Minister Mark Rutte, who visited the region on Friday, said that “first, there was corona[virus], now these floods, and soon people will have to work on cleanup and recovery.” “It is disaster after disaster after disaster. But we will not abandon Limburg,” the southern province hit by the floods, he added. His government has declared a state of emergency, opening up national funds for those affected. Among other efforts to help flood victims, brewery Hertog Jan, which is based in the affected area, handed out 3,000 beer crates to locals to help them raise their belongings off the ground to protect them from the flooding. In Switzerland, heavy rain has caused several rivers and lakes to burst their banks, with authorities in the city of Lucerne closing several pedestrian bridges over the Reuss River. World & Nation Subscribe for unlimited accessSite Map InnovationGerman gas operator says 20% hydrogen blending trial in 100 homes has been ‘100% trouble-free’ after six monthsOngoing pilot in Erftstadt finds no technical problems with residents’ gas appliances — but they had been pre-tested to ensure compatibility 19 July, 2021 By The death toll from flooding in western Europe continues to rise with landslides recorded in numerous locations Last week’s record rainfall in Germany and Belgium has caused widespread flooding in both countries Switzerland and Luxembourg have also been affected More than 180 people have been confirmed dead Germany has suffered the highest death toll with the Rhineland-Palatinate and North Rhine-Westphalia states worst hit rescuers were called to the town of Erftstadt near Cologne where houses were swept away by a landslide and several people were killed due to a ground collapse Some reports said the water poured into a quarry pit that then started eroding away towards the outskirts of the town Several dams in Germany have also been at risk of overflowing Cracks were also detected in the Steinbach dam in Euskirchen which led to the evacuation of several villages below the reservoir the situation before the weekend remained stable “but not uncritical” Many commentators and European leaders have said the extreme weather conditions are a result of climate change University of Reading hydrology professor Hannah Cloke said: "These kinds of high-energy sudden summer torrents of rain are exactly what we expect in our rapidly heating climate The fact that other parts of the northern hemisphere are currently suffering record-breaking heatwaves and fires should serve as a reminder of just much more dangerous our weather could become in an ever-warmer world." German president Frank Walter Steinmeier said: "Only if we take up the fight against climate change decisively will we be able to keep extreme weather conditions such as we are experiencing now in check.” Heavy rain is still causing issues in many regions as it has moved towards southern Germany and Austria Want to read more? Subscribe to GE’s enewsletters and follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn Tagged with: Concrete elements that will form a 1.8km long immersed tunnel in the River Scheldt were recently floated in a dock ahead of their journey to Antwerp Derry City and Strabane District Council have tendered a £130,000 ground investigation contract for work at the Middle Creggan and Lower Creggan Reservoirs in Derry An Implenia and Hochtief JV has been appointed by Deutsche Bahn to deliver the eastern section of a new partly tunnelled railway line in Munich Recent research from the University of Nottingham and Peatland Action has shown how satellites can be used to predict landslide susceptibility Sign in or Register a new account to join the discussion The forecast of the La Niña phenomenon for the second half of 2024 revives the urgency of strengthening the resilience of agri-food systems against extreme weather events in Latin America and the Caribbean the potential effects of which we must understand to act and protect agriculture a pillar of our economies and livelihood for millions in the region we warn about the increasing risk to global agriculture from multiple threats including extreme climate events like El Niño and La Niña and pests and diseases affecting animals and plants agriculture and its subsectors absorb 23 per cent of the total economic losses caused by these events almost a quarter of the losses caused by disasters globally are concentrated in the agricultural sector this represents an average loss of 975 calories per capita per day directly impacting the population’s food security it is imperative not only to respond to current emergencies but also to prepare for future ones strengthening our capacities to prevent and mitigate their impacts through a holistic approach This includes profoundly understanding the consequences of climate phenomena on agri-food systems and developing targeted strategies to increase the resilience of vulnerable communities we face significant challenges in identifying and measuring how these phenomena affect agri-food systems This requires methodologies to capture the differentiated effects of threats and consider ethnic-racial and geographical variables to ensure inclusive and effective responses the results of these measurements must be used operationally to formulate public policies and social assistance and protection programmes the Emergency Data Information System (DIEM) from FAO emerges as a crucial tool acting as a thermometer for the situation of the agri-food systems and offering key input for assessing the potential impact of adverse climate events on agricultural production and livelihoods DIEM identifies particularly vulnerable areas and communities such as those that have already suffered losses in their livelihoods and food security in previous records and are located in areas exposed to the new threat DIEM can measure immediate impacts through its DIEM Impact version A successful example of this tool is the use by FAO in assessing the impact of fires in Colombia during 2024 on agriculture and livelihoods through the Southern Oscillation Index (El Niño) This allowed a precise allocation of resources and recovery efforts towards the most vulnerable areas and communities demonstrating the importance of assessment tools for effective emergency management and impact mitigation on agri-food systems it is essential to recognise the importance of advancing in the generation of impact data implementing anticipatory measures such as reinforcing infrastructure and distributing agricultural inputs resistant to adverse conditions to minimise the scale of damage It is also important to establish rapid response systems in emergencies that allow the agile distribution of support and provide direct financial assistance to affected families to meet their immediate needs This requires close collaboration between governments as well as the participation of family farmers the goal must be to improve and increase the assessment of disaster impacts and the information it provides will help us commit to continuous improvement and collective action to face the challenges ahead Only in this way can we adequately prepare for La Niña or other events that may impact food security and agricultural livelihoods and resilient future for all and guaranteeing better production Ángela Blanco, is Emergency and Resilience Officer at FAO for Latin America and the Caribbean and Marion Khamis, Specialist in Resilience and Disaster Risk Management. Send feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com View the discussion thread. Please view the main text area of the page by skipping the main menu. The page may not be displayed properly if the JavaScript is deactivated on your browser BERLIN (AP) — At least 110 people have died in devastating floods across parts of western Germany and Belgium as rescue operations and the search for hundreds still unaccounted for continued German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier said he was “stunned” by the devastation caused by the flooding and pledged support to the families of those killed and to cities and towns facing significant damage our country stands together,” Steinmeier said in a statement Friday afternoon “It’s important that we show solidarity for those from whom the flood has taken everything.” Authorities in the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate said 60 people had died there including at least nine residents of an assisted living facility for people with disabilities In neighboring North Rhine-Westphalia state officials put the death toll at 43 but warned that the figure could rise further Rescuers were rushing Friday to help people trapped in their homes in the town of Erftstadt Regional authorities said several people had died after their houses collapsed due to subsidence and aerial pictures showed what appeared to be a massive sinkhole “We managed to get 50 people out of their houses last night,” said Frank Rock “We know of 15 people who still need to be rescued.” Rock said that authorities had no precise number yet for how many had died “One has to assume that under the circumstances some people didn’t manage to escape,” he said Authorities said late Thursday that about 1,300 people in Germany were still listed missing but cautioned that the high figure could be due to duplication of data and difficulties reaching people because of disrupted roads and phone connections local authorities and media report early Friday The flash floods this week followed days of heavy rainfall which turned streams and streets into raging torrents that swept away cars and caused houses to collapse across the region The governor of North Rhine-Westphalia state has called an emergency Cabinet meeting Friday The 60-year-old’s handling of the flood disaster is widely seen as a test for his ambitions to succeed Merkel as chancellor in Germany’s national election on Sept Steinmeier called for greater efforts to combat global warming “Only if we decisively take up the fight against climate change will we be able to limit the extreme weather conditions we are now experiencing,” he said Experts say such disasters could become more common due to climate change “Some parts of Western Europe … received up to two months of rainfall in the space of two days What made it worse is that the soils were already saturated by previous rainfall,” said Clare Nullis spokesperson for the World Meteorological Organization It was too soon to blame the floods and preceding heat wave on global warming rising global temperatures but added: “Climate change is already increasing the frequency of extreme events And many single events have been shown to be made worse by global warming.” the governor of Rhineland-Palatinate state said the disaster showed the need to speed up efforts to curb global warming We are experiencing it up close and painfully,” she told the Funke media group She accused the Laschet and Merkel’s center-right Union bloc of hindering efforts to achieve greater greenhouse gas reductions in Germany Europe’s biggest economy and a major emitter of planet-warming gases Thousands of people remain homeless after their houses were destroyed or deemed at-risk by authorities including several villages around the Steinbach reservoir that experts say could collapse under the weight of the floods Defense Ministry spokesman Arne Collatz said the German military had deployed over 850 troops as of Friday morning but the number is “rising significantly because the need is growing.” He said the ministry had triggered a “military disaster alarm,” a technical move that essentially decentralizes decisions on using equipment to commanders on the ground most of the drowned were found around Liege Skies were largely overcast in eastern Belgium with hopes rising that the worst of the calamity was over Italy sent a team of civil protection officials and firefighters to Belgium to help in the search for missing people from the devastating floods The firefighters tweeted a photo of one team working in Tillf to help evacuate residents of a home who were trapped by the rising waters troops piled sandbags to strengthen a 1.1 kilometer (0.7 miles) stretch of dike along the Maas river and police helped evacuate some low-lying neighborhoods Caretaker Prime Minister Mark Rutte said Thursday night that the government was officially declaring flood-hit regions a disaster area meaning businesses and residents are eligible for compensation for damage Dutch King Willem-Alexander visited the region Thursday night and called the scenes “heart-breaking.” sustained rainfall in Switzerland has caused several rivers and lakes to break their banks Public broadcaster SRF reported that a flash flood swept away cars flooded basements and destroyed small bridges in the northern villages of Schleitheim und Beggingen late Thursday the mayor of the hard-hit German city of Hagen about 50 kilometers (31 miles) northeast of Cologne said there had been a wave of solidarity from other regions and ordinary citizens to help those affected by the devastating floods many citizens saying ‘I can offer a place to stay where can I bring my shovel and bucket?’,” he told n-tv “The city is standing together and you can feel that.” Copyright © 2025 | The Zimbabwe Mail Online - Your News! Your Views! Your Life! Pipes were laid at the damaged section of the A61 near Swisttal-Ollheim The road will be reopened in the last week of September The A61 motorway will be reopened between Kreuz Bliesheim near Erftstadt and Meckenheim in the 38th calendar week i.e. on Thursday afternoon following an emergency planning meeting in Cologne It is welcome news for those who suffered from the consequences of the severe flooding in Swisttal and Rheinbach because it means a likely end to the cut-through traffic However, the section between Bliesheim and Kreuz Kerpen is not yet fully open to traffic. As the construction work is still ongoing. Visitors to the website verkehr.nrw will find a general notice stating that the important north-south route is closed until July 2022 this is a standard notification that can be withdrawn at any time “At the moment we are making good progress on the road every day and we are always able to report roadwork completions,” she said The severe flooding on 14 and 15 July this year was and remains a great tragedy for many residents in the Ahr Erft and Rhein-Sieg districts as well as in Euskirchen Besides the countless homes lost in the disaster traffic routes were also affected with roads and bridges destroyed And even the traffic between the villages has been affected: you can feel it every day by looking at the region’s congestion map The Ahr valley route has suffered the greatest damage And the A61 motorway between Kerpen and Grafschaft is still impassable except for smaller sections The consequence: Heavy goods traffic in particular has to look for alternative routes Some truck drivers take the country routes It is not uncommon for them to get stuck in the smaller side roads as these are not designed to accommodate large articulated lorries Residents in Heimerzheim can tell you a thing or two about this - for example when a heavy truck tries to find a bypass route to the A61 via the country lanes and narrow paths Lorries have apparently got stuck several times The problem is becoming even more explosive because the bypass road (L182) near Heimerzheim is likely to remain closed until the end of the year due to a destroyed bridge This is why so many lorries have been struggling their way through the village streets Wiser long-distance drivers - coming from the north - use the diversions via the A4 the A555 and the A565 to avoid the closed section this means that the traffic backs up every day on the A555 near Bonn because the A565 towards Hardtberg cannot accommodate that many vehicles which will remain closed at the Bliesheim junction after the ramp was washed out Here the traffic from the Weilerswist-West exit agonises its way through the villages to the Brühl-Süd junction the state road construction agency opened the section of the A61 between Heimerzheim and Weilerswist to the north to provide at least a little relief for the village of Metternich The situation around Erftstadt remains challenging According to the state road construction agency a section of the B265 between Köttingen and Blessem should be passable in the near future The section up to the motorway junction will probably not be completed until December The A1 is expected to be reopened at the beginning of 2022 initially towards Koblenz and then in the direction of Cologne at the end of March This is due to a collapsed bridge near Hürth The greatest destruction caused by the floods on 14/15 July can be found in the Ahr valley The west section of the B266 is fully closed in Bad Neuenahr-Ahrweiler The state of Rhineland-Palatinate has cited the end of September as the date for a possible reopening The same applies to the closed section of the B266 in Sinzig But the point at which things will get better is still written in the stars The Ahrtal section of the B267 between Neuenahr via Dernau Altenahr up to Kirchsahr remains closed in parts It is not yet possible to provide an exact date on which the road will be permanently open the A61 motorway will be reopened from Meckenheim to Bliesheim in the 38th calendar week there had been talk of a closure until 31 July 2022 The Heimerzheim bypass L182 is expected to be completely closed until the end of 2021 Further information at: www.autobahn.de / www.verkehr.nrw www.verkehr.rlp.de Laschet was seen chatting and joking in the background with several people while President Frank-Walter Steinmeier gave a statement expressing sympathy for victims in the hard-hit town of Erftstadt Laschet bursts out laughing for several seconds "Laschet laughs while the country cries," the best-selling Bild daily said on its website saying he was deeply moved by the suffering of the flood victims and regretted "the impression that was given by a conversation situation" Commentators and politicians were quick to condemn Laschet on social media secretary general of the centre-left Social Democrats who govern together with Merkel and Laschet's conservative CDU/CSU bloc "This is all apparently a big joke to (Laschet)," wrote Maximilian Reimers from the far-left Die Linke opposition party The controversy comes just days after Laschet was widely panned for admonishing a female reporter and calling her "young lady" during a tense back and forth about the link between the deadly floods and climate change you don't change policies just because of one day like this," said Laschet who is the premier of North-Rhine Westphalia state (NRW) one of the two German regions worst affected Germany has counted more than 140 lives lost since Wednesday Belgium and the Netherlands have also been affected by the heavy storms Erftstadt in NRW has seen major devastation after the extreme rainfall triggered a landslide in the town "I grew up in Erftstadt," tweeted Olav Waschkies "The behaviour of our state premier is unacceptable and unforgivable." Laschet's conservatives are leading in opinion polls with 30 percent support ahead of a September 26 general election that will mark the end of Merkel's 16 years in power The opposition Greens are in second place at around 20 percent Vehicle | CUENEWS This time “client” is a fourth generation BMW M3 (E90) which was subject to a Clubsport transformation by the Erftstadt tuning experts 21.01.2016) Ambitious car freaks very often look for innovative car tuning facilities Marcel REIL and his MR Car Design Company at Erftstadt with its crew of genuine professionals are offering the latter – with all going with – to their more than satisfied customers the REIL Performance Line is specialized in practicable power uprating; REIL Classic is responsible for the all-around service for rarities of the automobile history The engine software was submitted by MR Car Design to an optimization up to 450 HP with 430 Nm lancing Vmax now clearly above 300 kmph (180 mph) The installed Evo exhaust system – Evo being one of the Akrapovic exhaust systems “flagships” – has significant part of the fulminant Performance of this M3 The black rims are coated with Michelin Pilot Sport Cup tires in 245/35-19 on front and 265/35-19 on the rear axle there were installed spacer plates of 10 mm on the front and 15 mm on rear axle The Clubsport variant 2 coilovers with camber regulation comes from KW The combination with the H&R stabilizer kit warrants for extraordinary driving dynamics there was made a wheel load depending axle alignment The visible through the rims yellow painted Stoptech braking system competent partner of which is the Erftstadt Company crimping on the 380×35 mm brake discs the rear brake pads of which come from EBC and are activated via Fischer steel flex tubes with SuperPro jacks The interior also was subject to transformations besides the Wiechers rollover bar with cross black Schroth safety belts type Profi III-FE asm have been mounted The rear strut brace is part of the interior as well as the M-typical coloring at the forefront are obvious and suspicious being unique For detailed information about this M3 E90 Clubsport transformation please contact directly