Jürgen Pföhler himself had to refuse to testify. His lawyer had said that the announcement to the committee of inquiry that he would make use of his right to refuse to testify would remain the case.

The chairman Martin Haller (SPD) replied: "Mr. Pföhler has to say that himself.

Does it stay that way?” - “Yes,” said the former district administrator of Ahrweiler before the committee of inquiry into the flood disaster in Rhineland-Palatinate.

His performance lasted exactly five minutes.

Timo Steppat

Editor in Politics.

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The public prosecutor's office has been investigating him and the honorary head of the technical operations center (TEL) in the Ahrweiler district for negligent homicide for the past year.

The men are said to have warned the population too late and initiated evacuations.

134 people died in the night of July 14th to 15th in the Ahr Valley.

Almost a dozen witnesses paint a comprehensive picture

Even without Pföhler's statement, almost a dozen witnesses, investigators from the State Criminal Police Office (LKA) and neighbors at the committee meeting on Friday gave a comprehensive picture of what the former district administrator did on July 14th - and what not.

He was in the district administration twice on July 14, each for a relatively short time: in the early afternoon and in the evening, when the interior minister of Rhineland-Palatinate visited the crisis management team in the basement of the district administration at 7:20 p.m.

This is how Uwe Gebert, chief inspector at the LKA in Mainz, described it.

His testimony on Friday afternoon was also a comparison of what the investigating authorities know and what the investigative committee has learned from almost 150 witnesses over the past few months.

Urgent request to raise the disaster alert

Around 2:00 p.m., Erich Seul, an employee of the district administration, informed Pföhler about the situation in Adenau, a municipality in the district.

There are already many firefighters in action.

Seul, described as the Impaler's right-hand man, is his liaison to his administration during the flood.

Pföhler's wife had told the police that her husband had been at home all day with a few exceptions.

In the afternoon, Pföhler learned from Seul that two vaccination centers in the district were affected by the flood and appointments were being cancelled.

At around 5:00 p.m., the district administrator was informed about the dramatic flood warnings from the State Office for the Environment (LfU), "an unbelievable five meters" should be reached according to the forecasts.

In the afternoon, Pföhler also learned of the urgent request from a mayor to call out the disaster alarm.

"He knew that the risk of flooding is very high"

Again and again, Seul, as he testified a week ago, passed the phone on to the honorary fire and disaster inspector (BKI) Michael Zimmermann, he managed the TEL.

Cell phone reception in the basement, where TEL had taken up positions that afternoon, was miserable.

What exactly Zimmermann and Pföhler discussed is not known – neither of the accused spoke to the police or to the committee.

After Pföhler and Zimmermann described the situation to the interior minister of Rhineland-Palatinate, Roger Lewentz (SPD), during his visit at 7:20 p.m., the district administrator apparently went to his office and accepted a press release that had been prepared.

At around 8:00 p.m., he knew that hundreds of emergency services were deployed and that it was sometimes no longer possible to rescue people.

"He knew that the risk of flooding is very high," says investigator Gebert.

But it had no consequences.