Reconstruction - Bad Neuenahr-Ahrweiler after the flood: population on the rise
In Bad Neuenahr-Ahrweiler live nearly as many people as before, around three years after the fatal flood disaster. The resident registration office records approximately 80 new residents every month, the city stated. The population now stands at around 29,000, which is only slightly below the level before the flood. At that time, there were reportedly around 29,850 residents.
"Thanks to the numerous reopened gastronomy businesses and the variety of events, tourism remains an essential economic factor for the district town," the city announced.
Bad Neuenahr-Ahrweiler was particularly affected by the fatal flood disaster in July 2021. According to the city, damages to the municipal infrastructure amounted to 1.7 billion Euro. "Countless streets, bridges, park and cemetery facilities, kindergartens, and schools were destroyed or severely damaged at the time," it was stated. So far, around 370 grant applications have been submitted to the state, and 235 million Euro have been approved.
Mayor Guido Orthen called for faster review of grant applications. In addition, he considers a compulsory insurance for property damages caused by natural disasters necessary. "The flood disaster made it clear to all of us that the entire Ahr Valley must be thought of differently in terms of construction in the future," Orthen said in a statement. "This also applies to the building insurance for property damages caused by natural disasters, which, as many people here and in other flood-prone areas painfully discovered, often does not suffice."
- Despite the significant damage caused by the flood disaster in Bad Neuenahr-Ahrweiler, the municipality's population has nearly returned to its pre-disaster level.
- The flood disaster in July 2021 resulted in extensive damage to the municipality's infrastructure, including countless streets, bridges, and schools.
- The Mayor of Bad Neuenahr-Ahrweiler, Guido Orthen, has advocated for a faster review of grant applications following the flood disaster and also suggested implementing a compulsory insurance for property damages caused by natural disasters.
- The state has approved 235 million Euro for the reconstruction of infrastructure damaged by the flood disaster in Rhineland-Palatinate, with Bad Neuenahr-Ahrweiler being one of the affected municipalities.
- The flood disaster served as a wake-up call for the entire Ahr Valley, with Mayor Orthen emphasizing the need for a different approach to construction and property insurance in flood-prone areas.
