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Merkel and Laschet on a visit to Bad Münstereifel
Photo: WOLFGANG RATTAY / REUTERS
Chancellor Angela Merkel has promised the people in the flood regions unbureaucratic emergency aid.
Everything will be done to ensure "that the money gets to the people quickly," said the CDU politician during a visit to the badly damaged city of Bad Münstereifel.
"I hope it will be a matter of days."
Merkel assumed that the rebuilding of the destroyed infrastructure such as roads and railways as well as the reconstruction of the city would take longer than a few months.
It is very clear that "we will need a lot of patience here".
The Chancellor had initially been informed about the situation in Bad Münstereifel from the District Administrator of the Euskirchen district, Markus Ramers, and from Mayor Sabine Preiser-Marian.
She looked at a hall with donated relief goods and then got her own impression by walking through the town.
Accompanied by NRW Prime Minister Armin Laschet (CDU), she also spoke to helpers and citizens.
Merkel and Laschet emphasize the importance of warning sirens
Merkel also emphasized that sirens could play a greater role in Germany's disaster control again in the future. "Maybe the good old siren is more useful than you thought," she said after the visit to Bad Münstereifel. Now it will be analyzed exactly what has worked and what has not worked with disaster control and the early warning systems, said Merkel. In the debate, however, the following should not be forgotten: "This is a flood, as it has not been for a long, long time."
Laschet was also positive about the importance of alarm sirens.
For a long time these were neglected because it was thought that since there was no longer any danger of war, they were unnecessary, said the CDU leader and candidate for chancellor of the Union.
Now everyone is noticing "how vulnerable society is when suddenly electricity is no longer that." Analog means will also be needed again in the future.
This is now being analyzed by the federal and state governments together with the Office for Disaster Control, "in order to be even better prepared next time."
asa / asc / dpa
