- Poseck puts aid in the forecast for storm
After the devastating storm in North Hesse, Hessian Interior Minister Roman Poseck (CDU) has promised financial aid to the affected communities and residents. The removal of the damage poses an extraordinary financial burden on the municipalities of Wesertal, Hofgeismar, Trendelburg, Bad Karlshafen, and Reinhardshagen, which is why corresponding support will be examined, Poseck announced after a visit to the storm region. "We will not leave the affected residents behind," said the minister.
For such cases, there is the Elementar Damage Directive of the state of Hesse, which provides financial support under certain conditions. For implementation, an established procedure involving the district and the government presidency is planned. "In principle, there is also the possibility of providing unbureaucratic immediate aid," explained Poseck.
Due to heavy rainfall on Thursday evening and Friday night, around 60 residential buildings in the most affected municipality of Trendelburg-Gottsbüren alone were affected, according to a district spokeswoman. Another 30 residential buildings were affected in the Bad Karlshafen district of Helmarshausen, said a spokeswoman for the district of Kassel. The damage is estimated to be in the millions, but a more concrete estimate cannot yet be given. The total number of affected residential buildings is also not yet known.
According to Poseck, the heavy rain led to flooded basements and ground floors in many places, numerous trees were uprooted, heating oil tanks were swept away, and roads were undermined. Cars and other objects such as liquid gas tanks were also swept away. In some cases, people were trapped in their houses because the water stood in the ground floor. Two people had to be rescued from their cars by emergency services using boats. Overall, the operation was very successful and well-coordinated, said Poseck. The professional course of events shows that Hesse is well-prepared in disaster protection.
According to the district spokeswoman, the building authority has inspected the affected buildings, all of which are structurally sound, allowing residents to begin cleanup and repair work. Some houses are still habitable, in other cases, residents have gone to relatives or friends. "The mutual helpfulness is enormous," said the spokeswoman.
Poseck was also impressed by the community spirit. Many had contributed to overcoming the difficult situation as quickly and well as possible. "In particular, I would like to thank the emergency services. They have been on duty around the clock since Friday."
Over the weekend, around 1000 helpers were in the region, including disaster protection units from the districts of Schwalm-Eder, Werra-Meißner, and Waldeck-Frankenberg, as well as helpers from the Technical Relief Agency and the German Red Cross, said the district spokeswoman. Three firefighters were lightly injured during the operations.
In some cases, they had to help out a second time within a few days - for example, in Wesertal-Gieselwerder, where a bridge structure had to be demolished on Sunday because a culvert was blocked, as the spokeswoman said. This caused a stream to overflow its banks again, flooding basements once more. There were also operations in the previously unaffected towns of Vellmar and Helsa due to heavy rainfall over the weekend.
The cleanup efforts are now initially focused on the removal of large amounts of waste. Due to the heavy rain, many basements filled up, resulting in massive piles of bulky waste and, in some cases, hazardous waste.
Poseck had discussions in the region with the deputy district administrator of the district of Kassel, Silke Engler, as well as several mayors of affected municipalities. He also visited Gottsbüren, spoke with affected residents there, and met with emergency services.
The Hurricane-like conditions in Hesse led to significant damage, with Hurricane-force winds causing flooded basements, uprooted trees, and washed-away heating oil tanks. The cleanup process now involves removing large quantities of waste, including hazardous materials, from affected buildings.
