Updated: 20:09 ET, Jul 19 2021
GERMANY flood warnings reportedly did not reach locals in time before the rain hit - with more than 170 people still missing in the killer deluge.
Warning systems sent out alerts a few days before the heavy rain hit, but failed to reach many residents or officials in time, according to BBC reports.
7
7
A policeman looks at a piece of road that has sunken in the city of Altenahr, Rhineland-PalatinateCredit: AFP
More than 180 people were killed in the deluge, with more than 170 still missing as the devastating clean-up effort begins.
Armin Schuster, head of the Federal Office for Civil Protection, said the warning infrastructure wasn t our problem, but the effectiveness with which authorities and the population reacted to these warnings .
>Pondělí 19.7.2021 19:55:00
Velká voda v Německu zabila přes 160 lidí. Chceme zpět sirény, žádají Němci
V Německu sílí kritika, že v místech, kudy se přehnaly přívalové deště, nebylo varování před nebezpečím dostatečné. Počet obětí záplav tam překročil 160. Celkově v západní Evropě zemřelo téměř 200 lidí. To přitom není konečné číslo, mnoho lidí se dál pohřešuje.
Varování před nebezpečím nebylo dostatečné. S tímto tvrzením přišla německá opozice a přidává se i část veřejnosti. Místo klasických sirén totiž na některých místech v Německu zavedli mobilní aplikaci. Jenže tu si stáhla jen zhruba desetina Němců. Ministr vnitra Horst Seehofer kritiku odmítá. Podle šéfa úřadu pro pomoc při katastrofách se ale nelze spoléhat jen na digitální varování.
AFP Experts say that because a warmer atmosphere holds more water, climate change increases the risk and intensity of flooding. Men stand next to a damaged car in the city of Altenahr, Rhineland-Palatinate, western Germany, on July 19, 2021, after devastating floods hit the region. - The German government on July 19, 2021 pledged to improve the country s under-fire warning systems as emergency services continued to search for victims of the worst flooding in living memory, with at least 165 people confirmed dead. (Photo by Christof STACHE / AFP)
The German government on Monday pledged to improve the country’s under-fire warning systems as emergency services continued to search for victims of the worst flooding in living memory, with at least 165 people confirmed dead.
Germany hit by worst flooding in memory archive.shine.cn - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from archive.shine.cn Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Melissa Eddy and Megan Specia, The New York Times
Published: 20 Jul 2021 10:31 AM BdST
Updated: 20 Jul 2021 10:40 AM BdST Wreckage in Bad Neuenahr-Ahrweiler, Germany, on Sunday, July 18, 2021, after the floods. The brutal rains that led to the deadly floods were accurately predicted by forecasters. (Gordon Welters/The New York Times)
European authorities have revised down the number of people missing as waters receded after devastating flooding in Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands and Switzerland last week, even as the death toll continues to rise. );
}
More than 700 people who were considered missing after the heavy floods ripped buildings from their foundations, overturned cars, and inundated homes and streets have been identified as safe after days of uncertainty, police in Cologne, Germany, said late Sunday.