German citizens show solidarity during the flood disaster
German citizens help clear rubble from the streets.
Reuters
After the catastrophic floods in western Germany, volunteers came from near and far to help with clean-up efforts.
That is why Thomas Sperber and Marius Glaser boarded their tanker truck at 4 am from Limburg, about an hour southeast of the flooded Ahr Valley.
Seventeen oil traders from Limburg donated nearly 32,000 liters of diesel to power the machines, and announced on Facebook that they would distribute it free of charge to power excavators, tractors, trucks, buses, and power generators whose owners donate to clean-up efforts.
One of the first citizens to rise up in support of these efforts was Rasim Cervedaco, donating a bulldozer and three empty drums.
It has been working almost non-stop since the flood disaster.
He says he was lucky, because his home and business are on higher ground and they are not affected.
However, he and his family want to support the flood victims with all they have.
His son is engaged in the cleaning business of his company's excavator.
Berlin-based disaster researcher Martin Voss comments on these efforts, saying that it is "the biggest help that the local population has given," adding, "Those who have not yet been affected by this disaster are stepping up to do something... they are lending a hand."
Voss explains that research over decades has shown that people in disaster situations show true solidarity.
Citizens praised what Hubert Shels, a man in the mid-sixties who was working with his excavator in the Eifel region, did to open the drain in one of the dams with his 30-ton excavator, risking his life in this process, and was able to save more than 10,000 people who may be directly affected of flooding their homes.
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