Enlarge image
Self-critical tones: NRW Interior Minister Herbert Reul (CDU) admits omissions
Photo: Federico Gambarini / dpa
Didn't North Rhine-Westphalia react decisively enough to the flood disaster in mid-July?
The country failed to activate its crisis team.
NRW Interior Minister Herbert Reul (CDU) has changed his mind on this decision: "If I had to decide again, I would recommend the Prime Minister to activate the crisis team," said Reul of the "Rheinische Post".
"But less for operational reasons than for symbolic reasons."
He believes that no house would have collapsed less and no human life would have been saved.
But in Reul's words, such a crisis team would have “sent the signal to the population: 'Now it's serious!
And we take it seriously. 'When, if not in the biggest natural disaster in our state, should the crisis team be activated? «
The interior ministry had only formed a "small crisis team" for the flood disaster, which is officially called the coordination group.
In contrast to the real crisis team - in which the cabinet is represented - there were around 30 experts from all areas and authorities in the coordination group under Reul's leadership.
The opposition had criticized that as inadequate.
“The coordination group worked de facto like a crisis team.
So there was already a lot of crisis management in there, it just wasn't written on it, ”the minister defended himself.
The staff was deactivated a few days ago, as the acute emergency is over from the Interior Ministry's point of view - and it is now about the reconstruction work.
Reul announced that it would set up a disaster control competence team that would prepare recommendations for action for the future within a few months.
Flood relief fund over 30 billion euros
In the flood disaster in mid-July, 48 people died in North Rhine-Westphalia alone, and more than 130 in neighboring Rhineland-Palatinate. Villages were flooded and infrastructure was destroyed, causing billions in damage.
This week the federal cabinet approved a flood relief fund worth 30 billion euros.
The Bundestag and Bundesrat still have to approve.
Two billion euros from the pot are earmarked for repairing damage to the federal infrastructure, such as motorways.
The federal government bears these costs alone.
The remainder of the reconstruction fund is to be used to repair damage to the state's own and communal infrastructure as well as to private property.
Half of the 28 billion euros will be borne by the federal government and the other half by all federal states.
kik / dpa