A special kind of protection

Created: 01/14/2022 13:01

By: Sandra Sedlmaier

Inauguration of the new shooting range: the Sebastiani shooters in October 2020 with Chairman Reiner Drahtschmidt (2nd from left).

© Andrea Jaksch

Everything flat: The suffering that the flood disaster in the Ahr Valley brought to the local population impressed the St. Sebastian Aufkirchen rifle club.

Chairman Reiner Drahtschmidt has therefore started a fundraising campaign for flood victims, which has now raised 1,500 euros.

They benefit the Odendorf rifle club.

Aufkirchen

- "The clubhouse and the shooting ranges are completely destroyed," says Chairman Reiner Drahtschmidt. "Reconstruction in the same place is not possible, since the area was declared a flood zone for the Orbach."

The Sebastiani riflemen learned first-hand from their sports director Jutta Otten how bad the situation in the disaster area was and is. Otten helped clean up in the Ahr Valley for a week. "There's still a lot of work to be done," says Drahtschmidt. "An end to the recovery is far from in sight." The Sebastiani riflemen know how important it is to get help. A good year ago they inaugurated their new shooting range and completed the renovation of the clubhouse in Aufkirchen. "When redesigning our clubhouse, we received so much support from private individuals, members, banks, the community, the sports association and so on that financially, coupled with a lot of diligence, we are almost cost-neutral," says Drahtschmidt. "It's time to give something back, too.That's why I asked Jutta Otten to look around for a needy project that is close to our hearts."

The guest room of the Odendorfer Schützen after the flood - the shooting ranges and the outdoor facilities are in a similarly catastrophic condition. © Protect

This is how the St. Sebastian Aufkirchen rifle club came to be part of the Odendorf rifle club. The club has a long tradition, it was founded in 1897 and was very well equipped. The Orbach, which runs nearby, is often dry, but due to the heavy rains in July it grew, burst its banks and flooded the shooting ranges, buildings and hall. The responsible municipality is checking whether it can provide the rifle club with another piece of land, reports the Sebastiani chairman. The club is assured, but initial estimates have shown that a new building would be significantly more expensive. "A coverage gap of around 900,000 euros is currently expected," says Drahtschmidt. In addition, the insurance pays out the money up to a maximum of three years after the damage has occurred."It is questionable whether the formal preparatory work and the construction can be completed in that time." The Aufkirchner Schützen want to make a small contribution to the resurrection of the Odendorfer Schützen.