Flood Water in Europe, Death Toll Rises above 100
As waters receded on Saturday, Germans in the country’s west surveyed scenes of destruction; grieved over a rising death toll and confronted questions about how the country’s flood control systems had been so quickly overwhelmed by one of the most extreme rainfalls on record. The death toll in Germany climbed to at least 143 on Saturday; while the toll across the border in Belgium stood at 27, its national crisis center said. The count rose most sharply in Germany’s Ahrweiler district in Rhineland-Palatinate State, where the police said that more than 90 people had died and the authorities feared that the number could yet grow.
The authorities in Germany said that 600 people had been injured. Hundreds have been reported as missing; officials have struggled to offer precise estimates: Electricity and telephone services remain inaccessible in parts of Germany; and some roads are still impassable. In Belgium, police officers knocked on doors in an effort to confirm the whereabouts of vulnerable residents. Still, with floodwaters receding across parts of the region; the scale of the damage seemed certain to become clearer. Firefighters and soldiers began the daunting task of clearing debris, unclogging roads and assessing damaged buildings.
Extreme downpours causing Flood:
Secondly, Officials said they expected to find additional victims. Extreme downpours like the ones that hit Germany are one of the most visible signs that the climate is changing as a result of global warming from greenhouse gas emissions. Studies have shown a warmer atmosphere can hold more moisture, generating more rainfall. Floods of this size have not been seen in 500 or even 1,000 years, according to meteorologists and German officials. Rhineland-Palatinate was one of the two hardest-hit German states in the west, along with North Rhine-Westphalia. The Rhine River flows through the two regions, and the rain fell so rapidly that it engorged even small streams and tributaries not typically considered flood threats.
Floodwaters in Germany are still rising after killing at least 103 people, with over 1,000 missing. Heavy rains swept away homes and roads and downed phone lines.
Officials say: “The infrastructure has collapsed.”
In Belgium, at least 20 people were killed and 20 are missing. pic.twitter.com/277S8jNQnF
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