Share:German authorities came under sharp criticism on Monday after reports have revealed that they were warned about the floods days before they hit the country’s western regions last week. Germany’s best-selling daily Bild has blamed politicians, local authorities, and public broadcasters for being too late in issuing warnings although the European Flood Awareness System (EFAS) earlier alerted authorities about possible extreme floods in these regions. Bild also slammed regional public broadcasters WDR and SWR for not interrupting their program schedules last week and for failing to inform people about what was about to happen until it was too late. Germany’s worst flooding in decades claimed at least 164 lives and caused widespread devastation in the western states of North Rhine-Westphalia and Rhineland-Palatinate. The German weather service DWD has confirmed that meteorologists have predicted extreme rains days before they hit these regions and had warned local authorities.

Source: The Nation July 19, 2021 10:18 UTC