Residents in the worst-affected areas of Germany and Belgium have begun the massive task of clearing their neighborhoods as the floodwaters recede. As rescue crews continue their search for victims, the extent of the damage is becoming clear.
At least 180 people have died, and with many still missing the death toll could rise further. Flooding continued to wreak havoc in parts of Europe on Saturday.
Emergency crews rescued people from homes in the Austrian region of Salzburg, where floodwaters submerged the streets of one town.
Meanwhile in Germany, concern shifted south to the Upper Bavaria region, where heavy rains deluged basements and roads.
In western Germany authorities said the Steinbachtal dam remained at risk of breaching after residents were evacuated from homes downstream.
European leaders have blamed climate change for the floods, which have also affected Switzerland, Luxembourg and the Netherlands.
Experts say global warming makes torrential rainfall more likely. The world has already warmed by about 1.2C since the industrial era began.
At least 156 people are now known to have died in the floods in Germany, including four firefighters.
The states of North Rhine-Westphalia, Rhineland-Palatinate and Saarland have been the worst affected.
Thousands of people were reported missing during the height of the floods, but many have since been accounted for.
In the spa town of Bad Neuenahr in Rhineland-Palatinate’s Ahrweiler district, residents were determined to begin the clean-up operation, scraping mud from the streets and clearing piles of debris.
But the task is huge, with many businesses and livelihoods in the town swept away, electricity and gas still cut off and communication lines destroyed.
source: BBC
