In Germany, the damage from the July floods was estimated at a record amount of 29.2 billion euros which affected several regions of the country, for a record amount of 29.2 billion euros. This was reported by the Funke media group, TASS reports.
The German authorities have submitted a request for financial assistance from the European Union (EU) Solidarity Fund. In the request, Berlin announced the indicated amount. Thus, the damage from the July floods far exceeded the damage that was caused during similar disasters in 2002 and 2013.
Slightly more than half of the declared damage occurs in the federal state of Rhineland-Palatinate, mainly in areas in the valley of the Ahr River, more than 40 percent – to North Rhine – Westphalia. Bavaria and Saxony suffered to a lesser extent.
Earlier, the former German Chancellor Angela Merkel predicted a long time frame for the recovery of areas of the country affected by the floods. Merkel also noted that the flooding was caused by abnormal rains. In her opinion, now it is necessary to pay close attention to global climate change.
The German authorities have promised to allocate about 35 billion dollars for the restoration of infrastructure. Also, the German government approved a $ 470 million package to help affected citizens. Floods in the country began on July 12 due to an abnormally large amount of precipitation. More than 160 people died in the devastating disaster.