Merkel Visits Flood-Damaged Areas in Germany, Describes "Devastation Beyond Words"

'157 Dead' Worst Flood Disaster... Many Missing, Death Toll May Rise
Merkel Emphasizes Need for Climate Change Response

On the 18th (local time), German Chancellor Angela Merkel (left) visits the flood damage site.
[Image source=EPA Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Suhwan] German Chancellor Angela Merkel toured the flood damage sites and described the scene as "horrific," calling it "devastation beyond words."

On the 18th (local time), Chancellor Merkel visited Schuld in the Ahrweiler district of Rhineland-Palatinate, where flood damage was concentrated, and promised federal government support for the recovery of the affected areas.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel (fourth from left) is walking on site with Malu Dreyer, Governor of Rhineland-Palatinate (center), during a visit to the flood damage site in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, on the 18th (local time).
[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

At a press conference that day, she said, "The federal government will approve a flood damage recovery support program on the 21st," adding, "There is a great deal here that will take a very long time to restore."

Foreign media estimated that the flood damage recovery in Germany alone would cost billions of euros. The German insurance industry expects that the payout for natural disaster compensation this year due to the floods will exceed the 9.3 billion euros (approximately 12.5 trillion won) record set in 2013, according to foreign reports.

Since only about 45% of buildings are insured against heavy rain and flood damage, the actual damage is expected to be even greater.

[Image source=EPA Yonhap News]

The German government is reported to be injecting over 300 million euros (approximately 400 billion won) in emergency relief funds to the affected areas and will restore buildings, roads, and bridges destroyed by the floods through recovery support funds amounting to tens of billions of euros.

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

Chancellor Merkel also emphasized the construction of a carbon-neutral society, stating that this flood is a disaster caused by climate change.

She said, "We will respond to the power of nature in the mid to long term," and added, "We need to accelerate the fight against climate change."

She further stated, "Looking at the total of extreme abnormal weather and damage situations in Germany, there are signs that this is related to climate change," and "Therefore, when preparing flood countermeasures or agricultural and forestry policies, it is necessary to respond to this as much as possible."

Earlier, experts analyzed that abnormal temperature phenomena due to climate change caused this Western European flood disaster.

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

Foreign media reported that the flood-damaged sites showed villages submerged as roads were flooded due to rising water levels.

In the Ahrweiler district of Rhineland-Palatinate, the hardest-hit area in Germany, more than 110 people have reportedly died. Buildings were swept away by water, and electricity, gas, and communications remain cut off, causing delays in recovery efforts.

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

Local rescue authorities stated that more fatalities might be discovered as the water recedes over time.

Malu Dreyer, Minister-President of Rhineland-Palatinate, said, "We were fairly well prepared, but this flood came too fast and on such a massive scale that it is a level never experienced before in Germany, exceeding the limits of our response system."

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

She explained that with the collapse of power and mobile communication networks, all warning systems became difficult to operate, and that the military, police, and fire departments now plan to systematically conduct missing person rescues across the entire region.

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

Helmut Lussi, Mayor of Schuld, tearfully expressed that this flood will leave an unforgettable and unbearable wound on the residents, lamenting that their lives have changed overnight.

Meanwhile, the situation in neighboring countries affected by the floods is also worsening.

Belgian authorities reported that 163 people remain missing since the floods began. Additionally, about 370,000 households are without power, according to officials.

The government has deployed military forces to conduct missing person rescues and recovery efforts in the affected areas.

In the Netherlands, tens of thousands have evacuated, and officials expressed concerns about the safety of various infrastructures as roads and bridges are submerged.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.