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Guild village (May 2022) in Rhineland-Palatinate: almost a year after the flood disaster on the Ahr
Photo: Boris Roessler / dpa
Almost a year after the flood disaster in western Germany, the »Aktion Deutschland Hilft« alliance drew a positive interim balance.
Private individuals, companies and aid organizations have so far donated around 282 million euros - this is the highest donation amount in the 21-year history of the association, said the emergency aid alliance in Berlin.
Of this, around 35 million euros have so far been transferred to private individuals in the form of emergency financial aid.
Managing Director Manuela Roßbach emphasized, however, that "effective, sustainable help is more than emergency aid from the very beginning".
»The emergency aid was the Sprint.
Now the marathon is ahead of us: the reconstruction,” said Roßbach.
Three things in focus
In the reconstruction phase, the focus would be on three things in particular: financial support for repairing damage to the house, psychological care for traumatized people and support for those affected if they want to assert claims with insurance companies or apply for help from the state or from aid organizations.
In addition, the alliance wants to work to better prepare the population for future disasters.
In the future, donations should not only benefit private individuals, but also companies.
After all, after a disaster, for example, small business owners, craftsmen or winegrowers are also in need, said Roßbach.
As a result of the floods triggered by heavy rain, a total of 183 people died in mid-July 2021.
Areas in Rhineland-Palatinate and North Rhine-Westphalia were particularly hard hit.
At that time, there were also floods in Saxony and Bavaria.
The water masses had completely destroyed six bridges nationwide, damaged 38 bridges and two tunnels.
In 91 places, roads had become impassable due to slipped slopes.
wit/dpa