The Chancellor is right.
Germany is a strong country, it can cope with disasters like the great floods of the past few days.
Therefore, the needs of the affected places and their citizens should now be in the foreground.
Extensive emergency aid, as announced by the German government, is necessary and everything should be done to get the reconstruction underway as quickly as possible.
It becomes more difficult when it comes to the question of what conclusions can be drawn from the floods (and the drought in previous years) for German climate policy.
This revolves primarily around reduction targets, which will do little against acute extreme weather conditions in the foreseeable future.
The decarbonization of the German economy, which practically all parties except the AfD want, will take decades.
Others have to go along with it
And since Germany only accounts for two percent of global CO2 emissions, our weather will only change if China, America, Russia, India and Japan join in, to name just the biggest polluters of the earth's atmosphere.
The zeal is not as great everywhere as here.
Therefore, for the time being, it will be important to adapt life (and housing) in Germany to the changed climatic conditions.
There is a lot to be done, from warning systems to protective measures in endangered areas.
Since the Germans tend to improve the world, there has been too little talk about these issues, which are essential for the everyday life of citizens.
In an election year, a disaster is even more important than usual for politicians, whether they like it or not.
Laschet didn't give a good picture over the weekend.
Many citizens want to see a statesman at disaster sites, some even a doer.
But nobody needs a cheerful Rhenish nature there.
Baerbock's drudgery and cheating have rightly been viewed as a test of character in the past few weeks.
Laschet has not yet passed it either.