WITH FAMILIES left homeless, their houses swallowed by a sinkhole and roads collapsing, Rebecca Krohne considers herself one of the lucky ones.
Living in Erftstadt-Lechenich, she is less than two miles from a quarry in Erftstadt-Blessem that “ate up the land” after filling with floodwater from the Erfdt river.
Ms Krohne emigrated from Wokingham to Germany in 1995, settling in Erftstadt four years later.
The town, about 13 miles south west of Cologne, is twinned with Wokingham.
She said the devastation was something she would expect to see on the news, not on her doorstep. But she knows her family are some of the lucky ones.
The town has a few small rivers, including the Rotbach and Lechenicher Muhlen-graben.
“It’s not like we live in Cologne by the Rhine,” she said.
Now one week after the western state of North Rhine-Westphalia suffered the worst natural disaster to hit Germany in almost 60 years, Ms Krohne said nobody expected the flooding to hit so quickly.
It began with heavy rain on the evening of Tuesday, July 13, with cellars flooding by morning.
And the water continued to rise.
The town lost electricity and gas, with the sewage works shut for a few days. Two motorways and the dual-carriageway out of town are closed, with water eroding the routes.
“The water came up to the ceiling in my daughter’s best friend’s bedroom,” Ms Krohne said. “There were torrents of water flooding through the streets. In some parts, it smelt strongly of oil and diesel from the cars.”
Many families have lost their homes to the water. Some have been taken in by friends and family, others were given a free bed in one of Cologne’s hotels.
“The sports centres and school halls set up camp beds,” Ms Krohne explained.
Patients at the flooded hospital were moved to other towns, as well as the elderly living in a care home.
While her family of four was barely affected, others fared significantly worse.
Speaking on Monday, Ms Krohne said the town was still searching for missing people.
“There are no confirmed deaths at the moment because Erftstadt-Blessem was already evacuated on Thursday morning due to the water level,” she said.
While some refused to leave, they were later airlifted to safety via helicopter.
It was later that the open gravel pit became a sinkhole, swallowing homes and a castle that had been converted into flats. She said the site has become a no-go area since filling with water again.
“They’re not sure how stable the ground is, or if it will swallow up any more houses,” she said.
As Erftstadt-Blessem was evacuated, residents of Erftstadt-Lechenich took action to protect the historic market centre.
After purchasing as much sand as possible, residents went down with spades to create sandbags.
“They bolstered up the town centre for when the water came,” Ms Krohne explained.
And the community has not stopped since.
“There are still loads of volunteers helping,” she said. “Restaurants are offering free soup and pizza to those volunteering their time.”
This includes Ms Krohne’s youngest daughter, who is one of many helping distribute hot soup from the café where she works.
“I’m really shocked and sad that this has even happened,” Ms Krohne said. “It’s probably an element of climate change. This area is not known to be problematic, but we’ve had dry summers and then this deluge of rain. Nobody expected anything on this level.”
But the response has kept hopes up.
“It’s one of the reasons I moved here – the community spirit,” Ms Krohne said. “People are so selfless.”
Ms Krohne said Germans across the country have been offering their support, donating clothes, money and making offers of accommodation.
Jill Bowman, chairman of Wokingham Town Twinning Association said she was appalled by the devastation in western Germany — only to then hear Erftstadt was among the worst affected areas.
She said: “In recent days we have managed to make contact with quite a few people, although communications are not fully operational as some areas have no power, wifi or mobile phone signal.
“Naturally, we all feel very helpless at this distance.”
The Wokingham town mayor said he offered his support, love and condolences from one community to another.
Cllr Tony Lack reached out to Carolin Weitzelk, mayor of Erftstadt, who shared a Go Fund Me link to help with the regeneration of the town.
“I know many of you are desperately wondering what we can do to help,” Cllr Lack said. “I have been moved by how our community has reached out to others on this matter; thank you to everyone who has been in touch to show your concern and to those of you who are including those affected in your prayers of hope.”
Ms Bowman said the Town Twinning Association is looking into additional support for Erftstadt Partnerschaft members, alongside current fundraising initiatives.
Andy Goffin, Wokingham Lions president said they are donating £1,000 to the European flood relief fund.
To make a donation, visit: uk.gofundme.com/f/all-for-erftstadt
