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Flood Disaster: North Rhine-Westphalia Orders Mourning Flags for Anniversary
🇩🇪 Germany /Disasters & Emergencies

Flood Disaster: North Rhine-Westphalia Orders Mourning Flags for Anniversary

From Die Zeit · () German

Translated from German, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News From a news agency Context piece
  • North Rhine-Westphalia will observe a day of mourning with flags at half-mast to commemorate the victims of the 2021 flood disaster.
  • The floods, caused by heavy rainfall, resulted in 136 deaths in Rhineland-Palatinate and 49 in North Rhine-Westphalia.
  • A memorial service will be held in Düsseldorf, attended by German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, as the region reflects on the catastrophe and its lessons.

North Rhine-Westphalia will observe a day of mourning on Tuesday, July 14, with flags flown at half-mast on state and municipal buildings to honor the victims of the devastating 2021 flood disaster that struck the region and Rhineland-Palatinate.

"The flood disaster brought immeasurable suffering," stated NRW Interior Minister Herbert Reul (CDU) on the fifth anniversary of the floods. "Families lost relatives, livelihoods were destroyed in a matter of hours. The images from that time still haunt us." The catastrophe occurred during the night of July 14-15, 2021, following intense rainfall, leading to a devastating flash flood. In total, 136 people died in Rhineland-Palatinate and 49 in North Rhine-Westphalia.

The flood disaster brought immeasurable suffering. Families lost relatives, livelihoods were destroyed in a matter hours. The images from that time still haunt us.

— Herbert ReulNRW Interior Minister Herbert Reul reflected on the impact of the 2021 flood disaster on the fifth anniversary.

A memorial service is scheduled for Tuesday in the NRW state parliament in Düsseldorf, with German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier in attendance. Minister Reul emphasized that the disaster imparts a clear mandate: "We accept responsibility and are doing everything possible to best protect the people in our country."

We accept responsibility and are doing everything possible to best protect the people in our country.

— Herbert ReulNRW Interior Minister Herbert Reul stated the region's commitment to protecting its citizens following the flood disaster.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Die Zeit in German. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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