German Chancellor Candidate Laschet Says Flood Warning System To Cost Billions Of Euros

The flood warning system in Western Germany will cost billions of euros and will be the project of the decade, Armin Laschet, a frontrunner in the race for chancellorship and the prime minister of the North Rhine-Westphalia state, said on Tuesday

BERLIN (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 20th July, 2021) The flood warning system in Western Germany will cost billions of Euros and will be the project of the decade, Armin Laschet, a frontrunner in the race for chancellorship and the prime minister of the North Rhine-Westphalia state, said on Tuesday.

"We must do everything to combat climate change. But we must admit that in the coming years, such natural disasters will happen all the time, probably more often and more intensely. We must prepare for this, we need a legislative framework," Laschet told reporters in the flooded town of Bad Muenstereifel, adding that "it would require many billions [of euros], and would be the task of the decade."

Germany needs mechanisms to prevent future disasters due to climate change in Europe and the world in general, the official noted.

The authorities, according to Laschet, will do everything "to fully restore the damage" caused by the flood.

He also expressed gratitude to the German government, which will present a draft package of financial assistance to the victims on Wednesday.

Earlier on Tuesday, outgoing German Chancellor Angela Merkel, accompanied by Laschet, arrived in Bad Muenstereifel, part of the Euskirchen district, which was most severely affected by the disaster. They discussed the situation with local officials, rescuers, and residents.

German media reported that the first indications of flooding in Germany had been recorded by satellites nine days before the disaster. Four days before the tragedy, the European Flood Warning System informed the governments of Germany and Belgium about the rising water levels in the Rhine and Meuse rivers.

The latest death toll from disastrous flooding stands at 164 with hundreds of others missing.