Flood disaster: An act of charity | Eyewitness accounts from the first two weeks

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The once-in-a-century flood of July 2021 changed the lives of many people within minutes. The aid workers in the Ahr Valley share their moving impressions.

An indescribable emergency

A conversation with a man from Dernau reveals the oppressive situation on the catastrophic night of July 15th. The entire family fled to the attic and listened to the roar of the floodwaters. Apart from that, it was deathly silent. And pitch black. Not a light to be seen, the power was completely out, there were hardly any cries for help to be heard, just an eerie silence. His description even gives you goosebumps.

After the initial shock of the scene, we young volunteers simply functioned on autopilot. That is, we shoveled and worked as long as our strength allowed. Thinking about the personal suffering so many had endured here paralyzed our energy. We simply surrendered to the incredibly filthy environment. Most faces were smeared with mud, not just foreheads and cheeks, but sometimes even hair and teeth. Definitely not for the faint of heart. Sometimes we reached for things lying on the mud-covered ground, not knowing what they were.

It is impossible to properly describe what the situation must have been like for the people affected on the ground.

 

Municipality of Miesau

A powerful testimony

In the town of Sinzig, we learned of a nursing home that was particularly hard hit. Twelve people drowned within two hours as the water rose rapidly, with no chance of rescue. During that flood night, neighbors heard cries for help, but no one could do anything for them. Everyone was preoccupied with their own perilous situation.

The enthusiasm and motivation of our group also encouraged the affected families. And so, after our work was done, they bid us farewell with a huge thank you and suppressed tears. Everywhere we went, we made it very clear to people that they should direct their thanks to God and not to us. One man replied, "I'll say thank you up there, too."

There was a fascinating conversation with a Christian who had lost more than most. And since most houses along the Ahr River and in the affected areas aren't insured at all, the material loss is enormous. Yet this Christian emphasized the transience of this life and was filled with an admirable hope for eternal life: "I belong to Jesus!" he said with conviction. This catastrophe didn't throw him off balance. A powerful testimony.

 

Municipality of Miesau

Treasures in Heaven

Our destination, Mayschoss, was severely affected by the flooding. In some places, the water was up to eight meters deep. A lot of help was needed at the Mayschoss wine cellar, as the entire cellar was covered in about thirty centimeters of mud. We removed the mud with shovels, wheelbarrows, brooms, and buckets. Afterwards, all the furniture was disposed of.

I had the opportunity to speak with those affected on site. I learned that some had lost family members and that many houses had been washed away by the immense pressure of the floodwaters. Few people had flood insurance, and so they lost everything. I think of the Bible verses from Matthew 6. They remind us not to store up treasures on earth, for these are fleeting. May God give us the strength to store up our treasures not on earth, but in heaven.

 

Municipality of Tostedt

Preserved peace

From the Nürburgring starting point, we volunteers were divided into different buses. Upon arrival, we began singing "Give me helping hands, Lord, in my need." One by one, all the volunteers joined in. I saw a bus driver who thanked us, moved to tears. The fact that we reached her heart with the song makes me incredibly happy.

We spoke with a woman who told us she had been on the phone with her neighbor. She was so distraught by the state of her house that all she could manage was to ask for her "Shalom plate." We were all very surprised, but we set out to find the plate. Everything in the house was in chaos, but we found the "Shalom plate" hanging undamaged on the wall. Peace had clearly been preserved there.

 

Nico Finder,
Municipality of Sottrum and Bremen-Mahndorf

Works with impact

“Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven” (Mt 5:16).

We experienced and understood this verse in a completely new way during our relief efforts in the flood zone, after we had spent the entire day shoveling mud out of a house. In conversations with those affected, we heard the sincere words of those who had been hit: "Thank God!" People were glorifying the name of the Lord through our actions. This made it clear to us that our actions often have a greater impact than mere words.

While looking for work, we came across a desperate woman. She started crying and described her situation to us. She had already been waiting four whole days for help to clear out her basement. It was an apartment building with a floor area of 140 square meters; the mud extended from the basement all the way up to the ground floor. In addition, the heating oil tank had leaked. We set ourselves the goal of having the basement cleaned before we left.

The landlady of the house was in a completely unstable state. Therefore, we sent her away and promised to take care of her problem. Later, we learned that her stepmother had died in the disaster. We found her collapsed later that day, being attended to by paramedics. With God's help, we were able to completely empty the basement and thus successfully complete the project at the woman's house.

 

Linette Korbmacher
Municipality of Speyer

Grateful despite loss

The willingness to help was so great that, in principle, a convoy of aid workers set off every day to help the people out of compassion. Even when one was on site, it was still difficult to imagine the immense hardship the affected people were in and would continue to face for a long time.

We had the opportunity to speak with some of the flood victims. They told us that they had lost everything they had worked so hard for in the flood. Nevertheless, they were grateful to be alive. We are the light of the world, as the Word of God says. This relief effort was a wonderful opportunity to shine for the Lord.

Thomas and Markus Rusezki,
Andreas Kiel,
Municipality of Seckach

The value of charity

I spent two weekends on site with different teams. The main task was helping people clear the mud from their houses and apartments and carrying out their furniture and valuables. While this didn't require any special skills, it was rewarded with priceless gratitude in the eyes of those affected. Words cannot express the immense gratitude one felt as a helper.

We helped a woman carry a soaked carpet out of a multi-story building. Several hours later, she recognized us and thanked us again from the bottom of her heart.

We also helped an elderly man shovel water out of his boiler room. Afterwards, with visible pain in his eyes, he thanked us and, despite his own loss, wanted to give us money, which we refused. We did it out of love.

 

Daniel Nosatsch
Municipality of Salzgitter