Storm low Bernd

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Storm low Bernd
Storm low Bernd
Flooding of the Reuss : flooding near Gibstorf in the Swiss canton of Aargau , July 14, 2021
storm Heavy rain with subsequent floods
General weather situation Trough weather situation, NOZZF
Data
Beginning Beginning of July 2021
consequences
affected areas Belgium , Germany , France , Luxembourg , Netherlands , Switzerland

The flood in Central Europe in 2021 is a natural disaster with severe floods in several river areas in Switzerland , Germany and other countries in the summer of 2021. The related natural events were triggered by the storm "Bernd" after a week-long period with many storms and precipitation .

Since the beginning of July 2021 reached driven by the jet stream , from France and from Piedmont ago gusty winds , heavy thunderstorm with hail and heavy continuous rain, the north-western Switzerland , the Ticino , eastern Belgium , North Rhine-Westphalia , Rhineland-Palatinate , Baden-Wuerttemberg and Bavaria , which in many places led to a significant crossing of rivers and streams as well as considerable damage to property and personal injury. The water levels of some bodies of water reached high levels similar to those of the flood of the century in 2005 and the flood of 2007 or even exceeded them. The flood was particularly devastating in the Eifel , where towns were devastated and many people lost their lives.

Background: climate change

The global warming enhanced both the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events such as heavy precipitation . This is shown by historical observations, climate projections as well as the fundamental knowledge of physics. Among other things, the atmosphere can absorb 7% more water with every degree Celsius warming, which can then rain down. In addition, climate change triggers a weakening of the jet stream , which in turn means that weather conditions such as highs and lows remain largely in the same place for a long time instead of moving on. This exacerbates their regional effects, for example heavy rain events, and currently also the drought in North America . On the other hand, it is difficult to determine whether a specific event is directly caused by climate change (ie has to be viewed as a direct consequence of climate change), since weather and the conditions changed by climate change interact in such events .

prehistory

Already in the months of May and June, a weather situation determined by low pressure on the northern edge of the Alps had repeatedly led to continuous rain . Several times, especially in the catchment area of ​​the Rhine, there were severe weather events with strong thunderstorms and large hailstorms. On June 22, a debris flow in the center of the municipality of Cressier in the canton of Neuchâtel caused major damage. As a result, there was a risk of flooding in some bodies of water at the beginning of July. The accumulated precipitation from the month of May to July destroyed agricultural crops in several regions. In addition, the soils saturated with water could hardly absorb additional rainwater when the storm "Bernd" hit, which then exacerbated the flood situation.

affected areas

Belgium

In Belgium , the Walloon part of the country was affected. On July 15, the state infrastructure operator Infrabel announced the suspension of rail traffic in the entire region. There was a risk of flooding in the entire province of Liège and in parts of the provinces of Luxembourg , Namur and Walloon Brabant . Interior Minister Annelies Verlinden had the EU civil protection procedure activated. The neighboring country France announced the sending of helpers to the province of Liège. In the area of ​​the German-speaking Community , the Our overflowed its banks and flooded the village of Ouren , which is part of Burg-Reuland . Two people, including one in Aywaille , perished in the province of Liège . In the Eupen district of Nispert, a man with a swimming hoop jumped into the raging city stream, has been missing since then and rescue workers later found his body. In total, there were at least 14 deaths (as of July 16, 2021, 11:45 a.m.).

Germany

Damage in Hagen the morning after the storm night
Overview of the victims
Place or district number
Ahrweiler district 28
District of Euskirchen 24
Rheinbach (Rhein-Sieg district) 6th
Geilenkirchen (District of Heinsberg) 2
Cologne 2
Solingen 1
Werdohl (Märkischer Kreis) 1
Altena (Märkischer Kreis) 1
Victims not yet assigned at least 35
A total of at least 100
Other particularly affected places
Place or district
Wuppertal
Aachen-Kornelimünster
Eschweiler and Stolberg
court
cord
Leverkusen
Dusseldorf
District of Mettmann
Oberbergischer Kreis
Rheinisch-Bergischer Kreis
Rhein-Sieg district
Rhein-Erft district
Hagen
Eifelkreis Bitburg-Prüm
Steinbach dam
Trier Ehrang

In mid-July, heavy rains triggered by the low Bernd , led to heavy flooding in various regions of Germany. North Rhine-Westphalia and Rhineland-Palatinate were particularly hard hit .

Due to the severe storms, at least 103 people were killed in both federal states. Among other things, two firefighters died in action in NRW. According to the first inventory, the number of victims is thus far higher than in the so-called century flood in 2002 , when 21 people were killed in Germany. Six houses collapsed in the Eifel . 200,000 people in North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) and Rhineland-Palatinate (RLP) are affected by power failure. Defense Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer triggered the military disaster alarm for the two federal states on July 16, 2021 in order to increase the Bundeswehr's ability to act in terms of disaster relief .

Rhineland-Palatinate

The district of Ahrweiler is particularly hard hit , where the flooding of the Ahr left a trail of destruction and destroyed bridges and other infrastructure facilities. In the community of Schuld and the city of Sinzig alone , at least 28 people died. Twelve people who died in Sinzig were residents of a facility for the disabled. The floods came faster than the people could have been brought to safety.

The disaster was declared in the Vulkaneifel district .

Bavaria

The disaster was declared in several cities and districts in Northern Bavaria .

North Rhine-Westphalia

Because the Inde overflowed its banks, the Inden opencast mine was partially flooded and one person was subsequently reported missing.

The drastic consequences of the severe weather disaster in West Germany also made themselves felt in Euskirchen and Erftstadt . Due to the floods and the risk of collapsing the Steinbachtalsperre , several thousand residents in several villages had to leave their homes. The on shore entered Erftstadt flooding large parts of the Erftstadt urban area, several villages have been partially or completely evacuated and highways such as the A1 and A61 as well as the federal highway 265 had to be closed due to the Uber flooding and road damage. In the Erftstadt district of Blessem , the water flowed from the Erft through a residential and commercial area and paved a new path into the pit of the Blessem gravel works; several houses near Blessem Castle were washed down and damaged.

Because the flood reached several substations, the electricity supply companies had to switch off the electricity in certain areas.

On July 14th, the Eicherscheid flood retention basin in the Eifel and other retention basins near Horschheim, Weilerswist and Kerpen-Mödrath were opened to reduce runoff in the Erft.

Italy

The storms also reached eastern northern Italy and caused damage to agricultural crops. In Trentino-Alto Adige , a fallen tree damaged a cable car and several roads were broken, and a person was killed in Veneto .

Luxembourg

In the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg , too , heavy rain on July 14th and 15th caused numerous rivers to overflow their banks and flood neighboring towns. This affected Mamer , Vianden and Bettemburg , among others . Parts of the city of Echternach had to be evacuated on July 15, as did residents of several other places ( Vianden , Rosport , Steinheim , Born , Bour ). At Bollendorf the level of the Sauer reached 608 centimeters, the second highest value since records began. According to MeteoLux , an average of 60 to 80 liters per square meter had fallen in the country in the previous 24 hours. Serious damage was caused in the lower town of the state capital by the Alzette . The kerosene supply to the airport was interrupted due to the damage to a pipeline near Echternacherbrück .

Netherlands

Flood of the Göhl in the center of Valkenburg aan de Geul , Netherlands

The southern part of the Dutch province of Limburg was particularly hard hit . In the Heuvelland , creeks and small rivers burst their banks and caused serious damage. Because of the water masses, parts of the A2 , A79 and A76 motorways had to be closed. On July 15, parts of the city of Roermond , the provincial capital Maastricht , the Maas communities Stein and Eijsden-Margraten and the small town of Valkenburg were evacuated.

Switzerland

Aare floods in Bern
Flood in the Marzilibad in Bern, July 13, 2021

After heavy rains for days in the Alps , the Jura and the Swiss Plateau , numerous streams, rivers and lakes have burst their banks in several cantons since July 11, 2021, and landslides and debris flows have occurred in some places. Various towns were flooded and some traffic connections were interrupted. On July 14, the authorities declared the highest danger level for several bodies of water, especially the large lakes at the edge of the Alps .

Strong gusts of wind caused major property damage from July 12th to 13th, including in the city of Zurich and disruptions in the transport network.

To flood and to some extent local flooding occurred particularly in the river systems, the Aare , the Reuss , the Limmat and the Rhone and in the canton of Ticino . The Reuss burst its banks on July 13 in the cantons of Uri and Aargau. In Brugg and Gebenstorf where the Reuss and the Limmat flow into the Aare, which were chess country and the Stroppelinsel underwater. In some communities, roads and bridges have been closed. Damage was also caused by the rising groundwater.

Debris flows hit the Upper Valais village of Oberwald and buried traffic routes and part of the settlement. The route of the Matterhorn-Gotthard-Bahn and the pass roads over the Grimsel , Furka and Nufenen Pass were closed. As a precautionary measure, the canton of Uri closed the A 2 motorway next to the Reuss near Altdorf to traffic.

In Lucerne , Thun and other towns along the Reuss and Aare rivers, the municipalities had the fire brigade and civil defense set up mobile flood protection elements and flood barriers.

The traffic connections to Engelberg and the cantonal road Lausanne - Vevey were interrupted due to debris flows and landslides. Due to a rockfall, the main road Bellinzona - Airolo was closed since July 14th.

The flood caused by the tributaries in the Rhine below the mouth of the Aare meant that on July 13th, shipping on the Rhine at Basel had to be suspended. Shipping also stopped on Lake Lucerne , Lake Thun and Lake Biel .

The Birs flooded areas close to the river near Basel. The Lake Biel joined Nidau their banks.

Political reactions

Germany

The Prime Minister of North Rhine-Westphalia Armin Laschet , Vice Chancellor Olaf Scholz and the Prime Minister of Rhineland-Palatinate Malu Dreyer made their way to the disaster areas to get an idea of the situation. Chancellor Angela Merkel thanked the many helpers for their commitment and declared in a tweet from government spokesman Steffen Seibert on July 15 that her sympathy goes to the relatives of the dead and missing. Bavaria's Prime Minister Markus Söder also promised help for the affected countries.

The Deputy Prime Minister of Rhineland-Palatinate, Anne Spiegel (Greens), traveled to the flood events in Trier and Kordel . The example of Trier-Ehrang has shown, according to Spiegel, that the flood protection measures of the state and those of the municipalities are insufficient.

EU

EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen promised aid to the affected EU countries, namely Belgium, Germany, Luxembourg and the Netherlands.

France, Italy and Austria offered rescue teams to help Belgium.

Switzerland

Federal President Guy Parmelin visited Biel and Lucerne and got an idea of ​​the situation, Federal Councilor Simonetta Sommaruga got an idea of ​​the Aare in Bern, for example in the Matte district . Parmelin regrets the catastrophe in Germany.

United States

US President Joe Biden has expressed his "sincere condolences" to Germany for the devastating floods in North Rhine-Westphalia and Rhineland-Palatinate. "It is a tragedy," said Biden on July 15 in Washington during a visit by Chancellor Angela Merkel. "Our hearts go out to the families who have lost loved ones." Merkel thanked them for their sympathy: "We really appreciate that." "The suffering of those affected affects me very much," said the Chancellor.

causes

Even if a direct assignment is difficult, the climate researchers Stefan Rahmstorf and Friederike Otto named global warming as a favorable factor for the floods : warmer air could simply transport more water vapor. But the surface sealing also contributes to the dramatic consequences of the precipitation.

See also

Web links

Commons : 2021 European floods  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Josef Fetzer: The destruction in the picture. In the eye of the storm. Impressive pictures of the destruction caused by the nocturnal hailstorm. at bernerzeitung.ch, accessed on July 15, 2021.
  2. ↑ Catastrophe in Germany, dangerous water levels in Switzerland. In: Tages-Anzeiger , July 16, 2021.
  3. ↑ Tagesschau, Stefan Rahmstorf, Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, on extreme weather and the climate crisis , July 15, 2021
  4. ↑ a b Global warming favors extreme weather, according to climate researchers . In: Die Zeit , July 15, 2021. Retrieved July 15, 2021.
  5. ↑ Flood disaster in Germany: "Weather machinery out of sync" . In: TAZ , July 15, 2021. Retrieved July 16, 2021.
  6. ↑ These records were broken in the storm in June. June 29, 2021, accessed on July 13, 2021 (Swiss Standard German).
  7. ↑ Important information in the region of Cressier (NE) après de violents orages. June 27, 2021, accessed July 15, 2021 (French).
  8. ↑ Current flood situation - where there is a risk of flooding in Switzerland - and why. July 12, 2021, accessed July 13, 2021 .
  9. ↑ Train traffic stopped in the south of the country - avoid car journeys. BRF , July 15, 2021, accessed on the same day.
  10. ↑ Red alert for watercourses in large parts of Wallonia - France sends help. BRF, July 15, 2021, accessed on the same day.
  11. ↑ Land under in the municipality of Burg-Reuland - calm weather in Amel. BRF, July 15, 2021, accessed on the same day.
  12. ↑ DPA: Media reports: Severe weather claims two lives in Belgium. Retrieved July 15, 2021 .
  13. ↑ Cf. number of flood deaths in Belgium rises to 14. In: lkz.de. Ludwigsburger Kreiszeitung , July 16, 2021, accessed on July 16, 2021 .
  14. ↑ a b Flood disaster: More than 100 dead . Tagesschau.de . Retrieved July 16, 2021 at 1:10 p.m.
  15. ↑ "Two people die in a flooded basement". July 15, 2021, accessed July 15, 2021 .
  16. ↑ a b c d Severe weather in Germany: Ministry of Defense triggers military disaster alarm. In: Der Spiegel. Retrieved July 16, 2021 .
  17. ↑ At least 103 dead after storms in Rhineland-Palatinate and North Rhine-Westphalia - the situation after the house collapse is unclear. Retrieved July 16, 2021 .
  18. ↑ a b NRW and Rhineland-Palatinate: dead after severe storms In: Der Spiegel. Retrieved July 15, 2021 .
  19. ↑ Many dead, incalculable damage . In: Tagesschau.de , July 15, 2021. Retrieved July 15, 2021.
  20. ↑ Several people die when houses collapse in Erftstadt. In: Der Tagesspiegel . Retrieved July 16, 2021 .
  21. ↑ WORLD: Severe weather: 200,000 people in North Rhine-Westphalia and Rhineland-Palatinate without electricity . In: THE WORLD . July 15, 2021 ( welt.de [accessed July 15, 2021]).
  22. ↑ A disaster was declared here on Wednesday evening. Death toll rises to 33. Accessed July 15, 2021 .
  23. ↑ Flood live blog in RLP: An overview of current developments. Retrieved July 15, 2021 .
  24. ↑ Disaster in the district of Hof - flood sweeps people in Saxony with it. Retrieved July 15, 2021 .
  25. ↑ Disaster in the district of Hof - flood sweeps people in Saxony with it. Retrieved July 15, 2021 .
  26. ↑ Number of fatalities from storms in North Rhine-Westphalia and Rhineland-Palatinate at at least 19 - Laschet for more climate protection. Retrieved July 15, 2021 .
  27. ↑ Dam at Steinbachtalsperre is about to break - evacuation. Morgenpost.de, July 15, 2021, accessed on July 16, 2021 .
  28. ↑ Evacuations started in the Rhein-Erft district. July 16, 2021, accessed July 16, 2021 .
  29. ^ Rain in Rhein-Erft: partial collapse of the entire village of Erfstadt-Blessem. July 16, 2021, accessed on July 16, 2021 (German).
  30. ↑ Storm in Rhein-Erft Several fatalities after house collapses in Erftstadt. July 16, 2021, accessed on July 16, 2021 (German).
  31. ↑ Maltempo al Nord, danni e una vittima in Veneto. Albero cade su una funivia - See more at: http://www.rainews.it/dl/rainews/media/ContentItem-ad2b12f7-bf03-4f3d-aeb7-2213e0d70202.html. rainews.it, July 14, 2021, accessed July 16, 2021 .
  32. ↑ Sabine Schwadorf: After the evacuation comes the tidying up. In: volksfreund.de. Trierischer Volksfreund , July 15, 2021, accessed on July 16, 2021 .
  33. ↑ Flood ticker. Clean-up work has begun - the water continues to rise on the Moselle. In: tageblatt.lu. Tageblatt , July 16, 2021, accessed on July 16, 2021 .
  34. ↑ Echternach will be evacuated in the afternoon. L'essentiel , July 15, 2021, accessed on the same day.
  35. ↑ "Everyone fled to the first floor". L'essentiel, July 15, 2021, accessed on the same day.
  36. ↑ Bernd Wientjes: Pipeline interrupted. Because of flooding: kerosene is running out at Luxembourg Airport before the holidays. In: volksfreund.de. Trierischer Volksfreund, July 16, 2021, accessed on July 16, 2021 .
  37. ↑ Noodnummer total steld voor evacuaties Zuid-Limburg. In: NU.nl. Retrieved July 15, 2021 (Dutch).
  38. ↑ Roermond gaat honderden huishoudens evacueren vanwege hoogwater: 'Hulp om wat spullen hoger te zetten kan ik ook gebruiken'. In: De Limburger . Retrieved July 15, 2021 (Dutch).
  39. ↑ Video: Duizenden inwoners van Maastricht en enkele Maasdorpen moeten hun huis uit. In: De Limburger. Retrieved July 15, 2021 (Dutch).
  40. ↑ Water Overlast alsmaar heviger in Valkenburg, geëvacueerd bewoners Service. In: NU.nl. Retrieved July 15, 2021 (Dutch).
  41. ↑ After heavy rain, there is still a risk of flooding in individual lakes and rivers , NZZ , July 9, 2021.
  42. ↑ Selina Schmid: The head of the Zurich green spaces says: The clean-up work will take until autumn. nzz.ch, July 14, 2017.
  43. ↑ Mathias Küng: Aargau is preparing for a new flood peak. In: Aargauer Zeitung , July 15, 2021.
  44. ↑ Mudslides flood Oberwald VS , 20min.ch, July 9, 2021.
  45. ↑ The train route will be interrupted until Friday. Emergency road to Engelberg open. Dozens of people evacuated. Water level causes concern , Luzerner Zeitung, July 11, 2021.
  46. ↑ a b Severe weather in Europe: Von der Leyen says help - dead in Belgium. In: Bluewin. Retrieved July 15, 2021 (SDA notification).
  47. ↑ The number of victims continues to rise. Retrieved July 15, 2021 .
  48. ↑ Flood Live Blog. swr.de, July 15, 2021, accessed on July 16, 2021 .
  49. ↑ Europe floods: Dozens dead in Germany as rain continues to batter several countries. euronews.com, July 15, 2021, accessed July 16, 2021 .
  50. ↑ Severe weather in Switzerland - live ticker: Floods on Lake Biel “inevitable”. In: SRF. July 13, 2021, accessed July 15, 2021 .
  51. ↑ Erich Aschwanden Lucerne: Federal President Parmelin: Regret disaster in Germany. In: NZZ. Retrieved July 15, 2021 .
  52. ↑ tagesschau.de: https://www.tagesschau.de/newsticker/liveblog-hochwasser-101.html , accessed on July 16, 2021.
  53. ↑ Global warming favors extreme weather , according to climate researchers , time online from July 15, 2021, accessed on July 16, 2021.