A cold, low-pressure region called Bernd by German scientists has caused major flooding across Germany and Europe. On Wednesday and Thursday, as the weather system began moving over the continent, unusually high levels of precipitation fell over a small area, causing rivers and sewage systems to overflow.
The destruction and death toll surpassed all previous records in this century. With more than 100 people killed in Germany alone by Friday afternoon. So far, the worst-affected areas have been in Germany’s Rhineland-Palatinate and North Rhine-Westphalia states, as well as Belgium’s French-speaking region and, to a lesser extent, sections of the Netherlands and Switzerland.
The administration of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany’s most populated state, has released a list of 23 towns, cities, and rural districts that have been particularly hard hit by the flooding, including major cities like Cologne and Düsseldorf.
Severe flooding has lately hit continental Europe. The most recent ones occurred in 2013, 2005, and 2002, resulting in billions of euros in damage, mainly in Central Europe. The death toll is already much higher than the 25 people believed to have died in the region’s most recent such event in 2013. It is sure to rise since hundreds of people are missing.
The main cause of the deaths is the collapse of countless houses in the worst-affected areas. As a result of the flood’s speed and intensity, areas are suffering landslides too.
Many rural homes in the worst-affected areas date back hundreds of years and are constructed around a wood skeleton known as Fachwerk which provides little protection under such conditions. However, the flooding occurred quickly and with little warning. Numerous flash floods occurred throughout the night, catching both people and authorities off guard, as seen by Chancellor Angela Merkel’s flight to Washington hours before the floods began.
It’s too early to provide an accurate assessment, but the damage to private property and public infrastructures, such as roads, highways, gas pipelines, the electrical grid, fixed-line and mobile telephone networks, schools, and hospitals, will certainly be huge.
According to the government, the 2013 floods in Germany, which were worst this century, lasted over a month in May and June. It devastated a larger area and claimed 6.7 billion euros ($7.91 billion) in damages. Furthermore, when the floodwaters travel downstream, other places may be affected, and many houses destroyed by the water in the worst-stricken areas may potentially fall.
On Friday, several flooded neighborhoods were still difficult to reach. Sunny weather is expected in the affected areas over the weekend, which will aid in the rescue operation, but thunderstorms are expected to return in the middle of next week, bringing heavy rains with them.
