Wiesbaden: Helpers cared for children in snow-covered school - "I didn't have the impression that the city was prepared for it"

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Stuck cars on the snow-covered federal highway B455 near Wiesbaden

Photo: König / dpa

The heavy snowfall on Monday and Tuesday forced more than two dozen children and their caregivers to stay in school overnight. Frederik Koch, 32, and his colleagues from the Workers' Samaritan Association cared for the snow-covered people in the rural district of Naurod, bringing hot tea and warm blankets.

MIRROR: Mr. Koch, when did it become clear to you that it would be a longer assignment?

Cook: Already on the way to school we knew that it would be a long night. It was around half past seven in the evening, everything was covered in snow, there were fallen trees on the road and motorists were stuck. I hadn't seen so much snow for a long time. And I didn't get the impression that the city was prepared for that.

MIRROR: What situation did they find at school?

Cook: The people at the school had been stuck since noon. The food was used up and there were hardly any blankets, because usually you don't assume that you have to spend the night at school. But on site everything was organized, the teachers radiated a great calmness. From the gym, they had placed sports mats as mattresses in the classrooms. The youngest children, who were about three years old, were already asleep.

MIRROR: How did they care for the snow-covered people?

Cook: We handed out blankets. Hot beverages such as coffee and tea. For dinner we had pasta with tomato sauce. And even games to keep you occupied.

MIRROR: Were the children not homesick and needed to be comforted?

Cook: As far as I've noticed, no. The older ones were fiddling on their smartphones or chatting with friends and were awake a little longer. However, there were concerned parents who spoke to the teachers on the phone and had to be convinced that they should not go out to pick up their children.

SPIEGEL: Did you stay up all night, or did you get some sleep?

Cook: Originally, our care train adjusted to the fact that we would also have to sleep at school. The sleeping places were already prepared. Around 3 o'clock in the morning came the news that the roads were largely cleared. The people in the school were taken care of, so we were able to drive again. In the morning, a second team of us went to school and brought breakfast. Bread rolls with jam.