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Germany Floods – And I was there!
©Victoria Ade-Genschow – The British Berliner – Germany – July 2021
I am bewildered!
I’m quite sure that you’re aware of the tragedy that has struck Germany.
And other nations.
For those of you who have been living under a rock, Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, England, China, India, and more, have been devastated by unusual rainfall, that resulted in catastrophic floods.
Floods that turned into natural disasters, previously unseen.
So much so, that in some places, it took all of twenty (20) minutes, before houses, cars, and furniture, were swept away by the havoc and destruction caused by dams breaking, rivers over-flowing and an avalanche of water exploding into streets, pushing into homes, gushing over bridges and roads, crushing into vehicles, and anything else it might meet in it’s path.
And I was there.
Flooding in Europe
Germany Floods
I hadn’t planned to be there.
Obviously!
We were actually on holiday and had opted to spend a fortnight in the magnificent Black Forest /Schwarzwald along the Danube river, the mouth-watering vineyards of the Moselle /Mosel river, and on the historic river of the Rhine / Rhein, since the days of the Roman Empire!
©Victoria Ade-Genschow – The British Berliner – Germany – July 2021
We chose to holiday in Germany.
In Rhineland-Palatinate / Rheinland-Pfalz.
On a staycation.
To feel safe.
Little did we know of the disaster to come.
With a death toll of 180, more rain to come, and150 people still missing, Germany is reeling in shock and despair over how this could have happened, with no warning.
So what actually happened.
In simple terms:
- Increasingly hot weather
- An exceptional amount of rainfall, in a very short time
- Small rivers that had little or no flood defence, overwhelmed by huge volumes of rain
- The speed in which flooding came into streets. In some cases, mere minutes
- The bursting of dams and riverbanks
- Weak communication on disaster management
- Inadequate or very little warning
- Destruction of homes and local infrastructure leading to emergency accommodation, no electricity, water, or basic facilities
- Urban planning
- Climate change
We started our staycation in Hinterzarten – a resort village of just 2,583 people, in the Black Forest / Schwarzwald in (Baden-Württemberg)
Hinterzarten has been in existence since 1148, and is famously known for competitive ski-jumping!
And as you can see.
Everything was fine.
©Victoria Ade-Genschow – The British Berliner – Germany – July 2021
©Victoria Ade-Genschow – The British Berliner – Germany – July 2021
©Victoria Ade-Genschow – The British Berliner – Germany – July 2021
Just look at that soft sand.
You would think we were in the Mediterranean.
But we weren’t.
We were in South Germany!
©Victoria Ade-Genschow – The British Berliner – Germany – July 2021
©Victoria Ade-Genschow – The British Berliner – Germany – July 2021
©Victoria Ade-Genschow – The British Berliner – Germany – July 2021
We had originally planned to spend just three (3) or four days (4), but decided to stay for five (5) days instead!
After spending five (5) very nice days in the Black Forest, we moved to the Mosel wine-region.
Disaster struck on the night of July 14th, 2021.
Just one night before we were to move towards the Moselle /Mosel River on 15.07.21.
Gulp!
Brauneberg comes around the curve after Bernkastel-Kues! ©Deutsches Weininstitut 2015
This is what we saw on 16.07.21
©Victoria Ade-Genschow – The British Berliner – Germany – July 2021
©Victoria Ade-Genschow – The British Berliner – Germany – July 2021
©Victoria Ade-Genschow – The British Berliner – Germany – July 2021
©Victoria Ade-Genschow – The British Berliner – Germany – July 2021
We were very, very lucky.
©Victoria Ade-Genschow – The British Berliner – Germany – July 2021
©Victoria Ade-Genschow – The British Berliner – Germany – July 2021
On booking our holiday accommodation, – The Music Producer (my husband), had wanted us to stay on the riverside, I on the other hand, had seen a vineyard which I thought was very nice.
©Victoria Ade-Genschow – The British Berliner – Germany – July 2021
©Victoria Ade-Genschow – The British Berliner – Germany – July 2021
Luckily for all of us, I managed to convince him so that in fact, the house we eventually rented, was a vineyard, that was part of a wine estate.
In Brauneberg.
On higher ground.
In the hills!
©Victoria Ade-Genschow – The British Berliner – Germany – July 2021
Brauneberg is a traditional town of just 1,129 people, with a history as far back as 588!
Famous for it’s vineyards and delicious wines.
©Victoria Ade-Genschow – The British Berliner – Germany – July 2021
©Victoria Ade-Genschow – The British Berliner – Germany – July 2021
You can see the slope as The Music Producer and The Tall Young Gentleman began the walk down the hill.
To the village.
©Victoria Ade-Genschow – The British Berliner – Germany – July 2021
©Victoria Ade-Genschow – The British Berliner – Germany – July 2021
However, if you look carefully, you can still see the over-flowing river from high-up where we were!
©Victoria Ade-Genschow – The British Berliner – Germany – July 2021
And why a bunch of caravan travellers thought it prudent to camp in those fields BESIDE the river, I really haven’t a clue?!
©Victoria Ade-Genschow – The British Berliner – Germany – July 2021
©Victoria Ade-Genschow – The British Berliner – Germany – July 2021
©Victoria Ade-Genschow – The British Berliner – Germany – July 2021
But the village itself was a bit of a mess and was swimming in water.
In fact, the local Brauneberg Tourism office was drenched, and a house that was offering apartments for rent in the village, had water flowing inside, up to the first (European) /and second (American) floor!
©Victoria Ade-Genschow – The British Berliner – Germany – July 2021.
This apartment for rent?
Sadly, no longer.
©Victoria Ade-Genschow – The British Berliner – Germany – July 2021.
The water in the above picture led into the shed of a local lady that I spoke to about the flood, who was trying her best to recover her property, and scoop out the mud.
©Victoria Ade-Genschow – The British Berliner – Germany – July 2021
The backdoor of the Brauneberg tourism office!
©Victoria Ade-Genschow – The British Berliner – Germany – July 2021
The Tall Young Gentleman standing on the edge of the (now) receding water!
Climate change has never been more real.
So, what can YOU do to help?
How you can help!
SHOULD I GO THERE?
Absolutely not!
Experts, professionals and local authorities are on the ground to help at the scene. There is a co-ordinated rescue response ongoing and there are still danger spots in some regions.
You’d only get in the way.
CAN I DONATE FOOD & CLOTHING?
Of course.
Most of the victims desperately need food, clothing and toiletries, but you would need to contact local organisations in order to find out how to do this, as logistics is an issue.
The Federal Office of Civil Protection and Disaster Assistance /Bundesamt für Bevölkerungsschutz und Katastrophenhilfe has set up a homepage giving details of locations.
If you click on the district, it will lead you to the areas affected.
If you scroll down those pages you will see links with the words “help” or “hilfe”, this will lead you to real individuals who have requested specifics on what items they need such as furniture, household items, clothing, etc.
However, most of the larger charities kindly request cash donations instead, because funding can be sent to the areas that need them, and they don’t have the capacity to accept donations in kind.
Here’s the government homepage.
WHICH ORGANISATIONS ARE LEGIT?
The Federal Office of Civil Protection and Disaster Assistance /Bundesamt für Bevölkerungsschutz und Katastrophenhilfe has set up a homepage giving details of the districts affected.
If you click on the district, it will lead you to the areas affected.
If you scroll down those pages you will see links with the words “help” or “hilfe”, this will lead you to real individuals who have requested specifics on what items they need such as furniture, household items, clothing, etc.
Please be careful when sending cash donations, and double-check that the organisation or charity is legitimate as sadly, scammers have taken advantage of the tragedy.
Here are some respectable /official organisations:
Donation account for victims in Rhineland-Palatinate
The state government in Rhineland-Palatinate has set up a donation account for those affected in the state. The details for bank transfer are:
Landeshauptkasse Mainz
IBAN: DE78 5505 0120 0200 3006 06
BIC: MALADE51MNZ
Keyword: “Katastrophenhilfe Hochwasser” (Disaster Aid Flood)
Here’s the Press Release.
Germany’s Relief Coalition /Aktion Deutschland Hilft e.V.
Germany’s Relief Coalition /Aktion Deutschland Hilft e.V. provides emergency aid to the people affected by the tragedy, helping families who have lost their homes in the floods.
It has set up a donation account for flood victims.
Keyword: “Hochwasser Deutschland” or “Flood Germany”
Here’s the Aktion Deutschland Hilft website in English!
The German Life Saving Association /Deutsche Lebens-Rettungs-Gesellschaft e.V.(DLRG)
The German Life Saving Association /Deutsche Lebens-Rettungs-Gesellschaft e.V. (DLRG) are experts in water rescue.
They’re at the scene in boats helping to sort through the wreckage, and request that people who wish to donate money should contact regional associations in:
- North Rhine
- Westphalia
- Rhineland-Palatinate
Donations to the respective accounts should be marked with the keyword “Hochwassereinsatz 2021” as a clear indicator as to what the money is for.
Here’s the DLRG website.
The Foundation for Technical Relief /Stiftung Technisches Hilfswerk (THW)
The Foundation for Technical Relief /Stiftung Technisches Hilfswerk (THW) helps out on the scene of disasters and civil protection, and works with up to 80,000 volunteers across Germany!
The page is in German, but if you scroll down, the donation details are in English too!
Here’s the THW website
Malteser Germany /Malteser Hilfsdienst e.V.
Malteser Germany /Malteser Hilfsdienst e.V. is an organisation with up to 300 volunteers on flood relief missions, with hundreds more on standby.
It also offers non-judgemental spiritual support regardless of faith, gender, sexual orientation or world view.
Keyword: “Nothilfe in Deutschland” (Emergency aid in Germany)
Here’s the Malteser website.
Diakonie Wuppertal
Diakonie Wuppertal is a a regional christian charity.
It is asking for donations for victims of the floods who live in Wuppertal.
Keyword: “Hochwasser” (flood).
Here’s the Diakonie Wuppertal website.
Thanks very much!
p.s If you’re booking hotels, houses and apartments, use this link to save 15% or more, between 26th September 2022 and 30th January 2023!
Booking.comGermany Floods – And I was there!
©Victoria Ade-Genschow – The British Berliner – Berlin – May 2020
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Germany Floods – And I was there!
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Germany Floods – And I was there!
©Victoria Ade-Genschow – The British Berliner – Germany – July 2021
This article is not sponsored.
Tragedy has struck Europe.
Could you have ever imagined it?
DISCLOSURE!
Please note that The British Berliner is a participant in affiliate programmes designed to provide a means for sites to earn fees by advertising and linking to Booking.com.
In short, every time a Booking.com service is used, booked, and paid for via my link, I get a little percentage, but at no extra cost to yourself!
A win-win for all!
So what are you waiting for?
Thanks a million!
Were you shocked by the havoc and destruction caused by destructive flooding or is global warming to blame?
See you in Berlin.
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