German Bundestag, Plenarprotokoll, 20/47, pp. 4875-4876.
Frau President. Ladies and gentlemen.
It is now almost a year that 133 people died in the flood
catastrophe in July 2021 in Rheinland-Pfalz. Hundreds were injured, thousands
lost goods and property, many until today are traumatized by the experience.
For us of the AfD, two things were clear from the beginning.
We must do everything at the parliamentary level to make clear the proximate
circumstances of this catastrophe. And we will commit ourselves with full power
so that the required assistance reaches those affected.
A year after the heavy rains, we know from numerous
statements of witnesses and experts that many deaths would have been able to be
prevented if the responsible officials had fulfilled their duties. Instead, all
representatives of the State government went to sleep while the people in
Ahrtal drowned. Following the flood night, the Minister-president as well as
the responsible minister acted as if they had known nothing. Unabashed, they
spread the legend of the unforeseeability of the catastrophe. Their sole
concern was the image of the mother of the country and her government. While
fortunately the absent without leave Minister Spiegel, responsible for the
flood warnings, is history, Interior Minister Lewentz, responsible for
catastrophe prevention, until today continues in office. He still spreads his
legend of “local responsibility” for the deadly warning failures on the Ahr.
Ladies and gentlemen, after the first catastrophe now
follows the second. After more than a year, the payment of the support assistance
drags on. Up to now, less than 1 percent of the means has been paid out. The government’s
reason: Who receives which means must be quite precisely tested. Right honorable
representatives of this government, this solicitude which you display here and
which, in the truest sense of the word, leaves one’s own people standing in the
rain, this solicitude I would have desired preferably in another place. Here
may be named only the fraud in the billions by means of Corona tests for citizens
which did not occur.
There is no lack of money for the reconstruction. Alone for
Rheinland-Pfalz, an assistance fund in the sum of 18 billion euros was made
available – predominantly from the Bund. Yet this money reaches the affected
people not at all. Thus by the end of May, merely 136.4 million euros from the
reconstruction assistance was paid out to private households for damages to
furnishings and buildings. Even the hitherto transferred means to affected
businesses can only be designated as marginal in relation to the resulting
total damages. According to a report of the Interior Committee of the
Rheinland-Pfalz Landtag of June 7, it was all of 31.3 million euros. That is a
sum likewise less than 1 percent of the available money.
Yet also for employees at the end of the month a wicked
awakening threatens. The hard case rule for part-time employment money needs to
be unconditionally prolonged, since otherwise numerous people will slide into
unemployment. The reason for this primarily is that the local operations are
still not rebuilt.
Even in regards the public infrastructure, it appears no
better: A 4 billion euro need was ascertained for the localities. Up to June 2,
just 150.8 million was paid out. If this continues at this tempo, the complete
reconstruction of the infrastructure will last a projected 25 years, and
thereby be only slightly longer than the building of the BER airport.
Esteemed colleagues, allow me to come to the end of my
speech, and here before all thank the numerous volunteer helpers and farmers on
the scene. Without their indispensable intervention after the flood, the
residents would have essentially stood longer in the mud. Especially the
farmers with their heavy excavation equipment were in the first days and weeks
the heroes of the region. Many thanks for this help.
That there were not many more victims is thanks to the brave
effort of the firemen who, especially on the upper Ahr, saved the lives of
countless people. Exemplary is the rescue achievement of the 26 year old
fireman [Wehrleiter] in the town
named Schuld in which, despite devastating material destruction, not a single
resident lost his life. In conclusion, not to remain unmentioned is the 19 year
old female fireman who lost her life in her commitment to saving people.
Many thanks.
[trans: tem]
