The European floods, which began last Wednesday, have mainly affected the German states of Rhineland, northern Rhine-Westphalia and parts of Belgium. As of Friday, the death toll was 125 and 1,300 were still missing.
Germany was hit hardest by the floods. People in remote villages in Germany were severely affected by the shortcomings of the flood warning system. The death toll rose to 157 in German and to 31 in Belgium. Rescue workers are still searching the missing people and hope more bodies will be found as the floodwaters recede.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who has been visited in the worst-hit areas by extreme level of flood, has promised to expedite financial assistance. Political critics say the flood damage could affect Germany’s general election in September next year.
Roads were flooded and vehicles were swept away. The German government hopes to provide more than 300 million euros ($ 354 million) in immediate relief to repair collapsed houses, streets and bridges, the finance minister has said.
Scientists, who have long predicted that climate change will cause heavy rainfall, say governments will have to take better and faster steps to address the effects of extreme weather and climate change.
The devastation has not yet been evaluated completely, but thousands of businesses and homes have been severely damaged by the disaster. Economic Affairs Minister Peter Altmeier has said a short-term payment of Euro 10,000 could be made for businesses affected by the floods as well as the COVID-19 epidemic.
Belgium declared Tuesday as a day of national mourning and 163 people are still missing in Belgium. About 37, 0000 homes are without electricity, and according to authorities, the supply of drinking water is also a major problem.
Tens of thousands of people have been evacuated from their homes in recent days due to the floods. Authorities are also concerned about protecting infrastructure such as roads and bridges and vehicles, from flooding. The Netherlands has so far reported only property damage and no deaths or disappearances from the floods.
This considered as one of the worst floods in Europe in decades, the water level in some of the flood-hit areas has not been seen for nearly 30 years. Preliminary analysis by satellite imagery of flood distribution shows that floods have spread along rivers in West Germany and neighbouring countries. Also, development near rivers has made flooding worse by reducing the amount of open land that can absorb rain.
But in the future, heavy rains are expected to reduce and hope that weather will get better again.