It was a year ago on June 10 that a violent hailstorm hit the district. Germering was particularly affected. Not all damage has been repaired there. And now there is new adversity. Meteorologists are again warning of severe thunderstorms from the weekend.
Germering - Christian Killer just made it to his stable in Alling. Then the storm broke out. Some 50 liters of rain per square meter quickly put parts of the community on the Starzelbach under water. The farmer thought he had gotten away with a black eye. At that point, he had no idea what devastation the storm had caused in Germering a few kilometers away. There is the old family yard with a house and several stadiums. The storm hadn't left much of the roof. "You could see the sky from the inside," recalls the 37-year-old.
It was clear hours ago that something would brew on this Whit Monday. The weather service had announced the highest warning level. In the late afternoon, the cloud towers shot up over the Allgäu and formed a so-called super cell - the queen under the storm clouds. The threatening structure headed for Germering with uncanny precision and unloaded its icy cargo in the form of huge hailstones.
The scaffolding is still standing: Farmer Christian Killer in front of his property in Germering.
The destructive force of the storm also felt the Germeringer Stadthalle. When the storm, hail, lightning and thunder had disappeared, the roof and the artistic neon signs on the building were in ruins. Damage: around 375,000 euros. The repair was difficult. Because the work should not disturb the cultural scene. That is why specialists are still busy with the repair work. "But in the course of the summer, all damage should be eliminated," says the deputy city hall manager Christian Jonczyk.
Read also: Severe weather leaves a trail of devastation in the Fürstenfeldbruck district
Severe weather on Whit Monday 2019: The harvest was also badly affected
The harvest was also hard hit. “Wheat and barley were badly hit,” says Hannes Kirmair. The Germeringer farmer, who also sits on the city council, speaks of failures of up to 70 percent.
Paramedics assess the damage to their lifeguard station on Augsburger Strasse.
The Germeringer indoor swimming pool has one of the biggest single losses. Renewing the roof cost around 860,000 euros, explains Stadtwerke manager Roland Schmid. The reason: A few years ago, the roof was cleared of gravel. In this way, the building should be relieved if larger amounts of snow should accumulate. So the special film on the roof was delivered to the hail without protection. It was literally perforated. Only a few skylights broke on the ice rink at the outdoor pool, where the gravel is still lying. Schmid can also gain something positive from the storm. The damage was paid for by the insurance company. Now the indoor pool has a new, more stable roof.
These days, workers are repairing the last damage to the roof of the town hall.
Farmer Christian Killer was not so lucky. Some buildings were not insured. The Allinger talent for improvisation proved this. From a friend he organized old roof tiles that were just the right size, he quickly sealed another roof with silage film. The farmer also received support from the Unterpfaffenhofen fire department. "They helped super quickly and easily."
Mosaics were damaged on this church.
Fear of the next heavy thunderstorm
Now everyone who has blown Whit Monday 2019 hopes that history will not repeat itself. Because from the weekend there will be heavy thunderstorms in Germany again.