Jachenau help for people in need in Rhineland-Palatinate

They traveled over 600 kilometers from Jachenau to the Ahr valley in Rhineland-Palatinate to tackle the flood area.

During their one-week aid mission, eleven Isarwinkler volunteers got a lot of impressions under their skin.

Jachenau - It is “a formative experience” that “you will certainly not forget for a lifetime”, says Andreas Demmel. He and ten other young Jachenauers gathered a lot of in-depth impressions during a one-week aid mission in the flood-devastated Ahr valley in Rhineland-Palatinate - for better or for worse. In any case, the group of volunteers traveled home with the certainty that they had helped where help was urgently needed. And the group felt carried by the ample tail wind from the Isarwinkler home. As reported, some young people from Jachenau, under the impression of the flood disaster in West Germany, made the decision to travel to Rhineland-Palatinate themselves and help those affected on site. "In the beginning there were four people, then more and more came up until we were eleven," reports Demmel.who is also involved in the Jachenau as a fire brigade commander and in the local council.

A view of the Ahr valley presents a picture of devastation

The group was able to build on the experience of a group of helpers from Lenggries, who had helped clean up the community of Dernau two weeks earlier. That was the first stop for the Jachenauers, who were equipped with a three-axle truck with a body, a nine-ton excavator, yard loader, mini excavator, dumper, mini dumper and three cars with two trailers. “You think you are ready. But when you drive down the serpentines to Dernau, it is a picture of devastation that cannot be described with words, photos or videos, ”Demmel describes the first impression of the Ahr valley. There the Jachenau residents first made contact with the second mayor, then reported to the provisional crisis teams that exist in every small town. There everyone came togetherwho just needed help or who offered help on their part. “But we often just looked around to see which residents needed us at the moment,” says Demmel. The Jachenauer were then active in Dernau itself and its districts of Marienthal, Rech and mostly in Mayschoss.

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The work never ends: even weeks after the flood disaster, there is still a lot to clean up in the Rhineland-Palatinate Ahr valley.

The Jachenauer supported with equipment and muscle power.

© Private

There could be no doubt that even a few weeks after the actual disaster, helping hands were in demand everywhere. “In Dernau itself, the streets were largely free,” Demmel describes. “But the Sunday we arrived, for example, was the first day on which one could even reach the other bank of the Ahr because the Bundeswehr had built a temporary armored bridge.” The helpers had to clear house entrances, “the mud that sometimes stood up to half a meter on the terrace, “scraping down” or clearing out the cellar with a bucket and shovel. Work just doesn't run out. "If you have seen the extent of the amount of mud and junk there is, you can understand that it is logistically not possible to clear it up in a few weeks," Demmel describes. Very touched himhow "immensely grateful" the people were. “You also noticed that they haven't found a minute to cope with the event themselves. They had been electrified for three weeks. ”In the evenings or at lunchtime they stood together - and the people of Jachenau got to hear stories that got under their skin.

Jachenauer soon became known as colorful dogs

“People told how it was first said that there was a flood, and they thought it was going to be something they had seen before.” First they had moved valuables from the basement to the ground floor. Then to the 1st floor. The 2nd floor. “Until many had to decide to flee over the roof into the vineyards or to wait on the roof until a helicopter picks them up.” Many could not have run up the stairs as fast as the water rose. Quite a few would have lost their closest neighbors or relatives. Nobody knows exactly how many people are still missing. “People say that as if it were nothing else than the boy next door breaking the window.” Death is so omnipresent there - and the experiences are so little processed.Demmel was also depressed by the statements made by many of those affected who saw no other solution than to tear down the remains of their houses and leave their homes. “It's not nice to hear something like that. You have a sense of home yourself and would like to stay in your home. ”Even though some time had passed since the flood, many helpers still came to the area. “There was a lot going on, especially on the weekend,” reports Demmel. "Large parking lots were set up, from which the helpers were taken to the villages in shuttle buses." The Jachenau residents were the ones with the longest journey and therefore soon "known like the colorful dogs". The fire brigade commander reports a great sense of unity. "Whether a policeman in uniform, a NCO from the Bundeswehr or us:We all stood together half a meter in the mud and made sure that the cellar was empty.

Huge backing from home

The Jachenau helpers were also very encouraged by the support they received at home. “That was phenomenal.” As soon as the Elfer Group was loading its vehicles, citizens came by to buy a snack. The community set up a donation account. But when Mayor Klaus Rauchberger offered to reimburse the eleven young men for their travel expenses such as motorway tolls or fuel from this account, Demmel was able to reply that these amounts had already been covered by other private donations - and that there was even money left over. This surplus can now flow directly into the district of Ahrweiler together with the money on the community donation account and a subsidy of 500 euros from the community itself. "Every euro is extremely important there," said Demmel.In the local council, the mayor also reported on the Jachenau-born entrepreneur Stefan Stedele (Oberland clothing store), who had brought “a load of rubber boots” worth 4500 euros to the disaster area. And according to Demmel, a group of several young women from Jachenau has meanwhile traveled to the Ahr Valley to help. After their return, the group of eleven male helpers is still in contact with people from Rhineland-Palatinate via SMS. “They told us that we would be happy to come back when everything has been rebuilt there,” says Demmel. It is also "a very nice area to go on vacation". Demmel understands the current trip to work as an important “life experience” that has changed his perspective. “The focus is shifting,” he says. “You know again how happy you can be about that.what you have. "

The donation account

the municipality has the IBAN DE02700543060011860640.

A donation receipt can be issued from an amount of 50 euros.

Please indicate the full address in the intended use.

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