Hundreds of people had to leave their homes in the Augsburg region over the weekend because of the flooding. Those who cannot stay with friends or relatives can find shelter and food in the exhibition hall – but there is always uncertainty.
On the night of Sunday, Monika Schneider and her husband were suddenly woken from their sleep. At 3 a.m., the fire brigade was at their door and asked them to leave the house in Kühlenthal, a community in the Swabian district of Augsburg. “Our entire street was evacuated,” Schneider said in an interview with FOCUS online.
Now the Schneiders are sitting on a beer bench in a hall at the Augsburg trade fair. The city and aid organizations have set up the rooms as emergency accommodation for people from the region. Augsburg itself has not yet been declared a disaster, but the surrounding area has been hit harder by the storms.
Germany is experiencing heavy rain, high water and flooding this weekend – the storms have particularly affected the south of the country. In some places, water levels are reaching the height of a once-in-a-century flood. The weather services have issued the highest warning level.
On Sunday morning, around 130 evacuated people found a camp bed, a sleeping bag and food in the mess hall – and helpful volunteers to look after them. The emergency shelter is divided into different areas. Where the Schneiders sit is a kind of lounge area. “The people here don’t need any special care,” says Raphael Doderer, spokesman for the Augsburg aid organizations.
The helpers know how tense the evacuees are: “The most important thing is that they can calm down.” Pastors and crisis intervention teams are available to talk if needed. Many have been rescued in the past few hours using boats, Unimogs or other sophisticated equipment.
In another part of the hall, camp beds are lined up one after the other; the helpers quickly set up 300 of them on Saturday afternoon. In an intensive care area, they look after elderly people in need of care together with specialists from the facilities. They make up around a third of the occupancy on Sunday morning.
They make notes on slides when, for example, incontinence needs to be taken into account. “We have all levels of care,” emphasises Doderer. A separate protection area has therefore been set up for people with dementia, and there is also a treatment room. There is also a separate registration for patients lying down and their medication plans.
But the seniors are not supposed to stay here for long. “The logistics now are about finding other homes,” says Doderer, explaining the concept of the emergency accommodation. If possible, the seniors will now be moved to other care facilities.
How long the emergency services will have to operate their infrastructure here is anyone’s guess: “We are talking about hours, days, weeks – we are living in a situation where we are living.” Up to 3,000 camp beds are on standby in case of an emergency, and around 400 external emergency services are currently supporting the volunteers in Augsburg.
For the evacuees, this uncertainty is one of the biggest problems. “It’s hard to imagine if you’re not affected yourself,” says Doderer. He speaks of an ambivalent mood in the emergency shelter: Many are happy about the quiet space and protection, but are worried about their homes.
“The hardest thing is to sit around here doing nothing, not knowing what is being washed away at home,” notes Manuel Heckmann, chairman of the Augsburg aid organizations. Many are still worried about friends and relatives.
Monika Schneider confirms this impression. “You’re nervous and thoughtful. You don’t find out anything,” she says, describing her feelings. She has heard from neighbors who are also staying in the Augsburg emergency shelter that their street is still dry. But she doesn’t know when she will be allowed to return. “I hope we don’t have to stay another night,” she says.
