Newser: More Than 1K Missing in Germany Floods

[FakeNoose]

(link) https://www.newser.com/story/308639/death-toll-tops-90-in-germany-belgium-flooding.html

(NEWSER) – The death toll from devastating floods across parts of western Germany and Belgium rose above 90 on Friday, as the search continued for hundreds of people still unaccounted for and officials warned such disasters could become more common due to climate change. Authorities in the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate said 50 people had died there, including at least nine residents of an assisted living facility for people with disabilities, the AP reports. In neighboring North Rhine-Westphalia state, officials put the death toll at 30, but warned that the figure could rise further. Some 1,300 people in Germany were still reported missing, though authorities said efforts to contact them could be hampered by disrupted roads and phone connections.

In a provisional tally, the Belgian death toll has risen to 12, with five people still missing, local authorities and media reported early Friday. The flash floods this week followed days of heavy rainfall which turned streams and streets into raging torrents that swept away cars and caused houses to collapse across the region. President Biden and Chancellor Angela Merkel expressed their sorrow over the loss of life during a news conference at the White House late Thursday. The longtime German leader said she feared that "the full extent of this tragedy will only be seen in the coming days." Rescuers were rushing Friday to help people trapped in their homes in the town of Erftstadt, southwest of Cologne. Regional authorities said several people had died after their houses collapsed due to subsidence, and aerial pictures showed what appeared to be a massive sinkhole.

Short article - no more at link except these photos:


Caption: A regional train sits in the flood waters at the local station in Kordel, Germany, Thursday July 15, 2021 after it was flooded by the high waters of the Kyll river. (Sebastian Schmitt/dpa via AP)


Caption: Destroyed houses are seen in Schuld, Germany, Thursday, July 15, 2021. (AP Photo/Michael Probst)


Caption: Damaged houses are seen at the Ahr river in Insul, western Germany, Thursday, July 15, 2021 (AP Photo/Michael Probst)


Caption: Cars lie in a washed out part of the Bessem district of Erftstadt, Germany, Friday, July 16, 2021. (David Young/dpa via AP)


Caption: The Ahr river floats past destroyed houses in Insul, Germany, Thursday, July 15, 2021. D (AP Photo/Michael Probst)


Caption: People use rubber rafts in floodwaters after the Meuse River broke its banks during heavy flooding in Liege, Belgium, Thursday, July 15, 2021. (AP Photo/Valentin Bianchi)

[secondwind]

1. The power of water......... amazing

[Hekate]

2. This is terrible

[Wounded Bear]

3. MSNBC (no link, TV coverage) is saying 1500 or so missing...

[SheltieLover]

4. K&R!

[smirkymonkey]

5. This is just horrible.

What a disaster! And it's so widespread! Those poor people.

[spinbaby]

6. I was there three years ago this summer

At the time, the Rhine was experiencing record lows and the Danube was so low as to be unnavigable.

[misanthrope]

7. One of the primary issues with climate change

is the extreme swings in weather events. Ecosystems thrive with stability. I've read work postulating the long-term, extreme variations accompanying the K-Pg event was what did most of the damage. It wasn't just the one cataclysmic blow but the back-and-forth weather that impaired the ability of species to mutate and re-establish.