Thursday, July 22nd

Germans return to flooded town: 'The memories are gone'

By MSTYSLAV CHERNOV and FRANK JORDANS Associated Press

A location sign for the river Erft lies in the rubble in front of a destroyed bridge, in Stotzheim, Germany Thursday July 22, 2021. Heavy rains have caused devastating floods over much of the region, (David Young/dpa via AP)

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, which wasn't much.

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."

Helpers work in the streets of Dernau, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, Wednesday, July 21, 2021. The severe flooding has made numerous houses here uninhabitable. (Thomas Frey/dpa via AP)

Bulky Piles of waste goods line a street after floods destroyed many homes in the village of Stotzheim, Germany, Thursday July 22, 2021. In the flood disaster area of Erftstadt-Blessem, some residents are being allowed back into their homes to clear debris after heavy rains caused devastating floods. (David Young/dpa via AP)

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."

Volunteers sort donations at the donation centre on the Ring Boulevard of Nurburg, Germany, before they are delivered to the flood disaster area, Thursday July 22, 2021. In the flood disaster area of Erftstadt-Blessem, some residents are being allowed back into their homes to clear debris after heavy rains caused devastating floods. (Thomas Frey/dpa via AP)

Volunteers dismantle a drinking water treatment plant in order to rebuild it on higher ground in Schuld, Germany, Thursday July 22, 2021. More rain is forecast for the region over the coming weekend. In the flood disaster area of Erftstadt-Blessem, some residents are being allowed back into their homes to clear debris after heavy rains caused devastating floods. (Thomas Frey/dpa via AP)

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."

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Jordans reported from Bonn, Germany. Geir Moulson in Berlin contributed to this report.

Volunteers sort clothing and other donations in kind in the donation centre at the Nürburgring to distribute to the flood victims in Rhineland-Palatinate, in Nürburg, Germany, Wednesday, July 21, 2021. (Thomas Frey/dpa via AP)

A woman throws rubbish from the window of her home onto a pile of discarded goods in the district of Blessem, in Ergfstadt, Germany, Thursday July 22, 2021. In the flood disaster area of Erftstadt-Blessem, some residents are being allowed back into their homes to clear debris after heavy rains caused devastating floods. (Marius Becker/dpa via AP)

A pile of discarded furniture stands in front of a house in the district of Blessem, in Ergfstadt, Germany, Thursday July 22, 2021. In the flood disaster area of Erftstadt-Blessem, some residents are being allowed back into their homes to clear debris after heavy rains caused devastating floods. (Marius Becker/dpa via AP)

Volunteers sort donations at the donation centre on the Ring Boulevard of Nurburg, Germany, before they are delivered to the flood disaster area, Thursday July 22, 2021. In the flood disaster area of Erftstadt-Blessem, some residents are being allowed back into their homes to clear debris after heavy rains caused devastating floods. (Thomas Frey/dpa via AP)

A Bundeswehr CH-53 transport helicopter picks up big bags of ballast in Ergfstadt, Germany, Thursday July 22, 2021, to fly them to the Blessem district to damn up the banks of the Erft river. In the flood disaster area of Erftstadt-Blessem, some residents are being allowed back into their homes to clear debris after heavy rains caused devastating floods. (Marius Becker/dpa via AP)

A pile of discarded furniture stands in front of a house in the district of Blessem, in Ergfstadt, Germany, Thursday July 22, 2021. In the flood disaster area of Erftstadt-Blessem, some residents are being allowed back into their homes to clear debris after heavy rains caused devastating floods. (Marius Becker/dpa via AP)

A Bundeswehr CH-53 transport helicopter picks up big bags of ballast in Ergfstadt, Germany, Thursday July 22, 2021, to fly them to the Blessem district to damn up the banks of the Erft river. In the flood disaster area of Erftstadt-Blessem, some residents are being allowed back into their homes to clear debris after heavy rains caused devastating floods. (Marius Becker/dpa via AP)