Catastrophic Water Calamity - The Prime Minister rejects additional terminations.
Rhineland-Palatinate's Leading Figure, Alexander Schweitzer (SPD), dismisses the need for further dismissals of high-ranking officials due to the mishandling of the Ahr flood catastrophe.
The opposition pushed for the firing of State Secretary for the Environment, Erwin Manz (Greens), and the Head of the Supervisory and Service Directorate, Thomas Linnertz. Schweitzer, in an interview with the "Bonn General-Anzeiger", stated that the investigative committee's report failed to provide any fresh perspectives. Consequently, the question of personnel changes has not been revisited for him.
The CDU argues that the investigative committee uncovered substantial flaws in the Ministry of Environment and the Supervisory and Service Directorate, which Manz and Linnertz oversaw.
Schweitzer aims to be more proactive
Schweitzer emphasized that the state parliament and state government must now draw lessons from the report's findings. His role as the head of the state government is to establish the necessary conditions "so that we in Rhineland-Palatinate are better equipped at all levels."
Regarding the reconstruction process, Schwietzer acknowledged that improvement could be made. Despite this, progress is being made. According to a survey by SWR, approximately two-thirds of the directly affected individuals reported that the reconstruction is progressing well. The state government has allocated 800 million euros for municipal infrastructure renovation, and 144 million euros for private reconstruction.
The flood disaster occurred on the night of 14th to 15th July 2021, claiming at least 135 lives in the Ahr valley. As a result of the events investigation, Anne Spiegel (Greens), former Minister of Environment, and Interior Minister Roger Lewentz (SPD) resigned from their posts.
The need for improved measures towards [protection against disasters] was highlighted following the Ahr flood catastrophe. Moving forward, Schweitzer aims to enhance Rhineland-Palatinate's resilience against such disasters.
