Under Germany’s federal system, it is up to the 16 regional states to organise responses to flood alerts and coordinate efforts with the civil protection office and the fire brigade. There are also smartphone apps to keep users up to date on extreme weather in their area. Gerd Landsberg, head of the German Association of Towns and Municipalities, called for an overhaul of the early warning system. “One of the lessons of this catastrophe in western Germany is that we must improve our research into these extreme weather episodes in the next few years,” she said. Chancellor Angela Merkel, who visited the flood zone in Rhineland-Palatinate on Sunday, said lessons should be learnt but cautioned against overly high expectations.

Source: The Local July 18, 2021 21:56 UTC