Visiting villages destroyed by water, Angela Merkel promises rapid emergency aid
Angela Merkel traveled to the flood-ravaged village of Schuld, near Bad Neuenahr-Ahrweiler, in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate, western Germany, on July 18, 2021. © Christof STACHE / AFP / POOL
Text by: RFI Follow
3 min
Germany is paying the heaviest price in these floods which have affected Europe for several days and in which more than 180 people have already been killed.
A situation described as frightening by Angela Merkel.
Visiting the affected towns, the Chancellor pledged the State's commitment to help with reconstruction.
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“
We are at your side,
” Angela Merkel told residents of the municipality of Adenau, in the Land of Rhineland-Palatinate.
Coming to see the damage caused by the deadly floods, the German Chancellor did not hide her emotion.
She pledged emergency aid of 300 million euros which should be launched next Wednesday.
At the same time, the German government is preparing a multi-billion euro reconstruction plan to repair roofs, roads and bridges.
"
The damage is considerable and it is obvious that those who have lost their business or their house will not be able to cope with these losses alone,
" Finance Minister Olaf Scholz told the Bild am Sonntag newspaper.
Aid of 10,000 euros should also be granted to companies affected by the floods as well as by the Covid-19, said for his part the Minister of the Economy, Peter Altmeier.
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To read also:
Deadly floods in Germany: the management of the criticized crisis
Angela Merkel also went to the small village of Schuld at midday.
"
I came today to see closely the extent of the disaster,
" she said at the microphone of our correspondent in Germany, Pascal Thibaut.
It's a surreal and ghostly situation, I would almost say the German language struggles to find the words to describe the devastation that has been caused.
We are by your side.
The State and the Land will act together to rebuild this magnificent region.
The government will adopt a program on Wednesday for emergency aid.
Fortunately, our country has the necessary means.
But in the long term we will have to pursue a policy which takes into account more than in the past the nature and consequences of climate change.
"
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See also: Floods in Germany: policies on the climate front and the next elections
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Germany
Angela Merkel
Economy
Natural disasters