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The death toll from bad weather in Germany has risen to 58, while dozens and dozens are missing. Heavy rains and floods have swept away several homes in the western part of the country. Three cities have been evacuated and there are fears of a dam that could collapse. Two hundred thousand homes are left without electricity and the population is in serious trouble.
Angela Merkel said she was “shocked by the catastrophe”. And a state of emergency was proclaimed.
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The Chancellor, today in Washington, expressed, through a tweet from her spokesperson Steffen Seibert, her condolences to the families of the victims and missing persons and her closeness to their families. Merkel then “thanked from the bottom of her heart the many tireless rescuers” who in these hours are working to rescue the hundreds of thousands of people in the areas overwhelmed by the floods.
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“My thoughts go out to the families of the victims of the devastating floods in Belgium, Germany, Luxembourg and the Netherlands and to those who have lost their homes. The European Union is ready to help,” the Commission President wrote on Twitter. Ursula von der Leyen who suggested to the affected countries to resort to the EU civil protection mechanism.
The prayer of Pope Francis
The Pope is “deeply struck” by the news of the severe storm and floods in Germany. The Pontiff “recalls in prayer the people who have lost their lives and expresses his profound participation to their families. He prays especially for the people who are still missing, for the wounded and for those who have suffered damage or lost their possessions due to the force of nature.
Assuring them, as well as the emergency response forces and rescuers of your spiritual closeness, Pope Francis implores
God’s help and protection above all. “This is what we read in a telegram sent by Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin to the President of Germany Franz-Walter Steinmeier.
