Germany_Europe_Weather_46334 A van buried in debris and gravel on the banks of the river Ahr in Ahrbruck, Germany, Susnday July 18, 2021. Heavy rains caused mudslides and flooding in the western part of Germany. Multiple have died and are missing as severe flooding in Germany and Belgium turned streams and streets into raging, debris-filled torrents that swept away cars and toppled houses. (Philipp von Ditfurth/dpa via AP)
Philipp von Ditfurth/dpa via AP
Germany_Europe_Weather_98696 German Chancellor Angela Merkel, rear third left, and the Governor of the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate, Malu Dreyer, rear fifth left, are seen on a bridge in Schuld, western Germany, Sunday, July 18, 2021 during their visit in the flood-ravaged areas to survey the damage and meet survivors. After days of extreme downpours causing devastating floods in Germany and other parts of western Europe the death toll has risen. (Christof Stache/Pool Photo via AP)
Christof Stache/Pool Photo via AP
Germany_Europe_Weather_47649 Residents are seen between debris in Marienthal, western Germany, Sunday, July 18, 2021. Heavy rains caused mudslides and flooding in the western part of Germany. Multiple have died and are missing as severe flooding in Germany turned streams and streets into raging, debris-filled torrents that swept away cars and toppled houses. (Boris Roessler/dpa via AP)
Boris Roessler/dpa via AP
Germany_Europe_Weather_53180 Some of the graves in the cemetery have been washed away in Bad Muenstereifel, western Germany, Sunday, July 18, 2021. Heavy rains caused mudslides and flooding in the western part of Germany. Multiple have died and are missing as severe flooding in Germany and Belgium turned streams and streets into raging, debris-filled torrents that swept away cars and toppled houses. (Oliver Berg/dpa via AP)
Oliver Berg/dpa via AP
Germany_Europe_Weather_24081 German Chancellor Angela Merkel, front right, talks to residents in Schuld, western Germany, Sunday, July 18, 2021 during her visit in the flood-ravaged areas to survey the damage and meet survivors. After days of extreme downpours causing devastating floods in Germany and other parts of western Europe the death toll has risen. (Christof Stache/Pool Photo via AP)
Christof Stache/Pool Photo via AP
Germany_Europe_Weather_60857 German Chancellor Angela Merkel, front second right, gestures as she and the Governor of the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate, Malu Dreyer, front right, talk to a resident in Schuld, western Germany, Sunday, July 18, 2021 during their visit in the flood-ravaged areas to survey the damage and meet survivors. After days of extreme downpours causing devastating floods in Germany and other parts of western Europe the death toll has risen. (Christof Stache/Pool Photo via AP)
Christof Stache/Pool Photo via AP
Germany_Europe_Weather_87297 Water stands in the town centre in Bad Muenstereifel, western Germany, Sunday, July 18, 2021. Heavy rains caused mudslides and flooding in the western part of Germany. Multiple have died and are missing as severe flooding in Germany and Belgium turned streams and streets into raging, debris-filled torrents that swept away cars and toppled houses. (Oliver Berg/dpa via AP)
Oliver Berg/dpa via AP
Germany_Europe_Weather_84964 A man carries debris out of a house in Bad Muenstereifel, western Germany, Sunday, July 18, 2021. Heavy rains caused mudslides and flooding in the western part of Germany. Multiple have died and are missing as severe flooding in Germany and Belgium turned streams and streets into raging, debris-filled torrents that swept away cars and toppled houses. (Oliver Berg/dpa via AP)
Oliver Berg/dpa via AP
Germany_Europe_Weather_00145 Helpers walk through the town center in Bad Muenstereifel, western Germany, Sunday, July 18, 2021. Heavy rains caused mudslides and flooding in the western part of Germany. Multiple have died and are missing as severe flooding in Germany and Belgium turned streams and streets into raging, debris-filled torrents that swept away cars and toppled houses. (Oliver Berg/dpa via AP)
Oliver Berg/dpa via AP
Germany_Europe_Weather_24332 German Chancellor Angela Merkel, rear second left, folds her hands as she and the Governor of the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate, Malu Dreyer, rear third right, are seen on a bridge in Schuld, western Germany, Sunday, July 18, 2021 during their visit in the flood-ravaged areas to survey the damage and meet survivors. After days of extreme downpours causing devastating floods in Germany and other parts of western Europe the death toll has risen. (Christof Stache/Pool Photo via AP)
Christof Stache/Pool Photo via AP
Germany_Europe_Weather_54843 Caravans, cars and mobile homes that were swept away by the flood wave hang together on a bridge over the River Ahr, in Altenahr, western Germany, Sunday, July 18, 2021. Heavy rains caused mudslides and flooding in the western part of Germany. Multiple have died and are missing as severe flooding in Germany and Belgium turned streams and streets into raging, debris-filled torrents that swept away cars and toppled houses. (Boris Roessler/dpa via AP)
Boris Roessler/dpa via AP
Germany_Europe_Weather_62685 Police officers search in the rubble for possible victims, at a bridge over the River Ahr, in Altenahr, western Germany, Sunday, July 18, 2021. Heavy rains caused mudslides and flooding in the western part of Germany. Multiple have died and are missing as severe flooding in Germany and Belgium turned streams and streets into raging, debris-filled torrents that swept away cars and toppled houses. (Boris Roessler/dpa via AP)
Boris Roessler/dpa via AP
Germany_Europe_Weather_77730 Dozens of caravans, cars and mobile homes that were swept away by the flood wave hang squeezed together on a bridge over the River Ahr, in Altenahr, western Germany, Sunday, July 18, 2021. Heavy rains caused mudslides and flooding in the western part of Germany. Multiple have died and are missing as severe flooding in Germany and Belgium turned streams and streets into raging, debris-filled torrents that swept away cars and toppled houses. (Boris Roessler/dpa via AP)
Boris Roessler/dpa via AP
Germany_Europe_Weather_30384 German Chancellor Angela Merkel, left, and the Governor of the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate, Malu Dreyer, rear third left, are seen on a bridge in Schuld, western Germany, Sunday, July 18, 2021 during their visit in the flood-ravaged areas to survey the damage and meet survivors. After days of extreme downpours causing devastating floods in Germany and other parts of western Europe the death toll has risen. (Christof Stache/Pool Photo via AP)
Christof Stache/Pool Photo via AP
Germany_Europe_Weather_66192 A helper of the Federal Agency for Technical Relief (THW) walks through the flooded city archive in Stolberg, western Germany, Sunday, July 18, 2021. Heavy rains caused mudslides and flooding in the western part of Germany. Multiple have died and are missing as severe flooding in Germany turned streams and streets into raging, debris-filled torrents that swept away cars and toppled houses. (Marius Becker/dpa via AP)
Marius Becker/dpa via AP
Germany_Europe_Weather_49677 Two men walk along the edge of a street flooded by water from the Kirnitzsch River while a fire brigade works in the background in Bad Schandau, Saxony, Germany, on Saturday, July 17, 2021. Storms have caused severe flooding across parts of western and central Europe. (Robert Michael/dpa via AP)
Robert Michael/dpa via AP
Germany_Europe_Weather_82095 Residents secure their homes against the threat of flooding in Passau southern, Germany, Sunday, July 18, 2021. In Passau, the water levels of the rivers continue to rise by the hour. (Markus Zechbauer/dpa via AP)
Markus Zechbauer/dpa via AP
APTOPIX_Germany_Europe_Floods_05388 A man helps with the cleanup by carrying rubbish and debris after heavy rain and flooding along the Erft in Bad Münstereifel, Germany, Saturday, July 17, 2021. On the night of July 15, the Erft floods totally devastated the historic core of the city and flooded streets and shops. Gas, electricity and telephone lines were dangerously exposed. (Roberto Pfeil/dpa via AP)
Roberto Pfeil/dpa via AP
Germany_Europe_Floods_72020 Houses in the Ahr valley in the Walporzheim district are destroyed after extreme weather in Bad Neuenahr-Ahrweiler, Germany, Saturday, July 15, 2021. Clean-up work begins in the areas affected by the storm. Days of heavy rain in Western Europe turned normally minor rivers and streets into raging torrents this week and caused the disastrous flooding that swept away cars, engulfed homes and trapped residents. (Thomas Frey/dpa via AP)
Thomas Frey/dpa via AP
Germany_Europe_Floods_85338 Houses and cars in the Ahr valley in the Walporzheim district are destroyed in Bad Neuenahr-Ahrweiler, Germany, Saturday, July 17, 2021. Clean-up work begins in the areas affected by the storm. Days of heavy rain in Western Europe turned normally minor rivers and streets into raging torrents this week and caused the disastrous flooding that swept away cars, engulfed homes and trapped residents. (Thomas Frey/dpa via AP)
Thomas Frey/dpa via AP
Germany_Europe_Floods_80906 A view of the Berchtesgadener Ache during rainfall in Berchtesgaden, Germany, Saturday, July 17, 2021. The district of Berchtesgadener Land has declared the situation a disaster after heavy rain due to flooding. Days of heavy rain in Western Europe turned normally minor rivers and streets into raging torrents this week and caused the disastrous flooding that swept away cars, engulfed homes and trapped residents. (Kilian Pfeiffer/dpa via AP)
Kilian Pfeiffer/dpa via AP
Germany_Europe_Floods_31482 The Kirnitzsch river has washed up wood and debris on a bridge in Bad Schandau, Germany, Saturday, July 17, 2021. Days of heavy rain in Western Europe turned normally minor rivers and streets into raging torrents this week and caused the disastrous flooding that swept away cars, engulfed homes and trapped residents. (Robert Michael/dpa via AP)
Robert Michael/dpa via AP
Germany_Europe_Floods_30788 Water flows over a square in front of a house in Bischofswiesen, Germany, Saturday, July 17, 2021. The Berchtesgadener Land district has declared the situation a disaster after heavy rain caused severe flooding. Days of heavy rain in Western Europe turned normally minor rivers and streets into raging torrents this week and caused the disastrous flooding that swept away cars, engulfed homes and trapped residents. (Kilian Pfeiffer/dpa via AP)
Kilian Pfeiffer/dpa via AP
Germany_Europe_Floods_01672 Furniture damaged by the flood piles up at a collection point, in Kordel, Germany, from where it is transported on again Saturday, July 17, 2021. Numerous houses in the village of Kordel were affected by the flood. Days of heavy rain in Western Europe turned normally minor rivers and streets into raging torrents this week and caused the disastrous flooding that swept away cars, engulfed homes and trapped residents. (Harald Tittel/dpa via AP)
Harald Tittel/dpa via AP
Germany_Europe_Weather_74243 Completely destroyed is this bridge over the Ahr in Ahrweiler, western Germany, Sunday, July 18, 2021. Heavy rains caused mudslides and flooding in the western part of Germany. Multiple have died and are missing as severe flooding in Germany and Belgium turned streams and streets into raging, debris-filled torrents that swept away cars and toppled houses. (Boris Roessler/dpa via AP)
Boris Roessler/dpa via AP
Germany_Europe_Weather_98755 Residents walk through rubbish and piled up furnishings from the destroyed houses and apartments in downtown Ahrweiler, western Germany, Sunday, July 18, 2021. Heavy rains caused mudslides and flooding in the western part of Germany. Multiple have died and are missing as severe flooding in Germany and Belgium turned streams and streets into raging, debris-filled torrents that swept away cars and toppled houses. (Boris Roessler/dpa via AP)
BERLIN (AP) — German Chancellor Angela Merkel surveyed what she called a “surreal, ghostly” scene in a devastated village on Sunday, pledging quick financial aid and a redoubled political focus on curbing climate change as the death toll from floods in Western Europe climbed above 180.
Merkel toured Schuld, a village on a tight curve of the Ahr River in western Germany where many buildings were damaged or destroyed by rapidly rising floodwaters Wednesday night.
Although the mayor of Schuld said no one was killed or injured there, many other places weren’t so lucky. The death toll in the Ahrweiler area, where Schuld is located, stood at 112. Authorities said people are still missing and they fear the toll may still rise.
In neighboring North Rhine-Westphalia state, Germany’s most populous, 46 people were killed, including four firefighters. Belgium confirmed 31 deaths.
Merkel said she came away from Schuld, still partly strewn with rubble and mud in bright sunshine, with “a real picture of, I must say, the surreal, ghostly situation.”
“It is shocking — I would almost say that the German language barely has words for the devastation that has been wreaked,” she said at a news conference in a nearby town.
Merkel said authorities will work to “set the world right again in this beautiful region, step by step,” and her Cabinet will approve an immediate and medium-term financial aid program on Wednesday.
Finance Minister Olaf Scholz told the Bild am Sonntag newspaper that more than 300 million euros ($354 million) will be needed immediately. And he said officials must set up a longer-term rebuilding program which, from experience with previous flooding, will be in the billions of euros.
“Thankfully, Germany is a country that can manage this financially,” said Merkel, who is stepping down as chancellor following an election in September. “Germany is a strong country and we will stand up to this force of nature in the short term — but also in the medium and long term, through policy that pays more regard to nature and the climate than we did in recent years. That will be necessary too.”
Climate scientists say the link between extreme weather and global warming is unmistakable and the urgency to tackle climate change undeniable.
Scientists can’t yet say for sure whether climate change caused the flooding, but they insist that it certainly exacerbates the extreme weather disasters on display around the world.
“We must get faster in the battle against climate change,” Merkel said, pointing to policies already set in motion by Germany and the European Union to cut greenhouse gas emissions. “And nevertheless, the second lesson is that we must pay great attention to adaptation” to climate change.
Investing in fighting climate change is expensive, she said, but failing to do so is even more costly.
“One flood isn’t the example of climate change, but if we look at the loss events of recent years, decades, then they are simply more frequent than they were previously — so we must make a great effort,” Merkel said.
Residents in the devastated areas will be needing support and comfort for a long time yet.
“This flood will leave scars on the people of Schuld — scars that you don’t forget, that can’t be overcome, because our lives changed from one day to the next,” Mayor Helmut Lussi said, breaking into sobs as he spoke.
Although the rain has stopped in the worst-affected areas of Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands, storms and downpours have persisted elsewhere in western and central Europe. There was flooding Saturday night in the German-Czech border area, in Germany’s southeastern corner, and over the border in Austria.
About 130 people were evacuated in Germany’s Berchtesgaden area after the Ache River swelled. At least one person was killed and the rail line to Berchtesgaden was closed.
The Berchtesgaden area also is the home of the sliding track in Koenigssee, the site of major international bobsled, skeleton and luge events for more than 50 years. Large segments of that track were destroyed, parts of the concrete chute turned into rubble by the rushing water.
A flash flood hit the nearby Austrian town of Hallein late Saturday, but there were no reports of casualties. Farther west, flooding struck parts of the town of Kufstein. Heavy rain and storms caused serious damage in several parts of Austria.
Pope Francis prayed for the flood victims and in support of the “efforts of all to help those who suffered great damage.”
“I express my closeness to the populations of Germany, Belgium and Holland, hit by catastrophic flooding,” he said Sunday in his first public appearance to the faithful in St. Peter’s Square after major surgery. “May the Lord welcome the deceased and comfort the family members.”
In the eastern Belgian town of Pepinster, soldiers and firefighters on Sunday searched for any remaining survivors or bodies, according to public broadcaster RTBF. All the houses still standing have been searched, so the effort focused on those that collapsed and in a valley downstream for anyone possibly swept away by the raging torrent.
The ground in the town remains unstable and several more houses could collapse. “We have to be careful with every step we take,” fire officer Olivier Jiust was quoted as saying.
The flood-stricken Dutch town of Venlo allowed most residents back home Sunday, and trains began running again in the area, authorities said.
Meanwhile, a cow swept 100 kilometers (60 miles) along a flooded Dutch river will live out its days in a meadow, according to its owner. Farmer Har Smeets told local broadcaster 1Limburg that he lost 10 other cows to high water in the southern part of the Netherlands, but one was found by a cyclist outside the town of Escharen and rescued by firefighters.
The cow, originally from the town of Echt, was seen Saturday standing with only its nose poking out of the muddy water of the Maas River, unable to free itself. Fire brigades managed to pull the animal onto dry land, and authorities traced the owner via an ear tag. Smeets says the cow has eaten and is resting comfortably.
“It is unbelievable that such an animal can swim or float for so long and then still have the strength to come ashore,” he said.
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Associated Press writers Angela Charlton in Paris and Frances D’Emilio in Rome contributed.
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Follow all AP stories on climate change at https://apnews.com/hub/climate
