Massive Flooding in Germany, Belgium

 

You may or may not have heard or read of this by now -I see some U.S. sources are covering it- but there has been massive, record-breaking flooding in Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium in the last 36 hours or so. As of this writing, 101 are confirmed dead and 1,300 missing. Part of the A1 Autobahn has been destroyed and the damages to roads, bridges and buildings is going to be measured in the tens of billions of Euros by the time everything is done.

For those who read German, here are two pieces, one from Die Welt online (which has video); the other from Die Süddeutsche Zeitung online:

Unwetter: Mindestens 105 Tote – Hochwasser in NRW noch nie so verheerend – WELT

Hochwasser – Euskirchen – Lage an Steinbachtalsperre: Sonntag Rückkehr in Ortschaften – Panorama – SZ.de (sueddeutsche.de)

And for those who read Dutch, here is a piece from Het Reformatorisch Dagblad which includes a photo gallery:

Geëvacueerde inwoners Roermond kunnen nog niet terug

 

 

 

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  1. Jules PA Inactive
    Jules PA
    @JulesPA

    I have seen these reports. The nature and fury of our world amazes (and horrifies) me.

    Rescue, Peace, and Safety to all. 

    🙏

    • #1
  2. Percival Thatcher
    Percival
    @Percival

    • #2
  3. Arahant Member
    Arahant
    @Arahant

    Percival (View Comment):

    That level around Köln is about five feet about six inches in our measure.

    Edit: I read cm rather than mm. My error. Still a good lot of rain.

    • #3
  4. Jules PA Inactive
    Jules PA
    @JulesPA

    Arahant (View Comment):
    Five feet of rain in one day?

    That screams geo-engineering to my simple mind. 

    • #4
  5. 9thDistrictNeighbor Member
    9thDistrictNeighbor
    @9thDistrictNeighbor

    Someone on a Facebook group about horses said that a lot of this flooding is in agricultural areas and people are missing horses and cattle, no electricity, no internet.  Some have said they are worried about the Steinbachtalsperre dam failing.

    • #5
  6. Arahant Member
    Arahant
    @Arahant

    Jules PA (View Comment):

    Arahant (View Comment):
    Five feet of rain in one day?

    That screams geo-engineering to my simple mind.

    My error. Only six inches.

    • #6
  7. Jules PA Inactive
    Jules PA
    @JulesPA

    Arahant (View Comment):

    Jules PA (View Comment):

    Arahant (View Comment):
    Five feet of rain in one day?

    That screams geo-engineering to my simple mind.

    My error. Only six inches.

    Still, seems a great outlier data point. 

    Praying the dam holds. 🙏

    • #7
  8. Percival Thatcher
    Percival
    @Percival

    I’ve been in Joliet whe we got over 13″ in a day.

    • #8
  9. Arahant Member
    Arahant
    @Arahant

    Jules PA (View Comment):
    Still, seems a great outlier data point. 

    History is full of those. No geo-engineering necessary. Here is a highway in Texas a few years back:

    A tropical storm came along and just sat over Houston for days, raining, raining, raining. Places like New Orleans and the Netherlands are very susceptible to these sorts of unusual weather events because they are beneath sea level. A few days ago, we had a highway or three closed down in Detroit because of flash-flooding. They were inundated. But that was an event that happens every few years. When an unusual event emerges, which they do, we suddenly want something to blame, like climate change. But the truth is there has always been variance in the climate, and that can mean very high variance indeed over three hundred years or so.

     

    • #9
  10. Arahant Member
    Arahant
    @Arahant

    Percival (View Comment):
    150 mm is about 6 inches. 5.9 and a push.

    Yeah, yeah. I already corrected myself.

    Percival (View Comment):
    150 mm is about 6 inches. 5.9 and a push. I’ve been in Joliet when we got over 13″ in a day.

    I was gone before July 18th of 1996, but that is impressive:

    Aurora reported 16.94 inches of rain, establishing a state record for the most
    rain in a single day. Other heavy totals included 13.60 inches at Joliet, 9.24 inches in
    Wheaton, 8.09 inches in DeKalb, and 7.82 inches at Elgin.

    Almost 17″ in Aurora? Did they threaten a messenger from God, or what?

    • #10
  11. Percival Thatcher
    Percival
    @Percival

    Arahant (View Comment):

    Percival (View Comment):
    150 mm is about 6 inches. 5.9 and a push.

    Yeah, yeah. I already corrected myself.

    Percival (View Comment):
    150 mm is about 6 inches. 5.9 and a push. I’ve been in Joliet when we got over 13″ in a day.

    I was gone before July 18th of 1996, but that is impressive:

    Aurora reported 16.94 inches of rain, establishing a state record for the most
    rain in a single day. Other heavy totals included 13.60 inches at Joliet, 9.24 inches in
    Wheaton, 8.09 inches in DeKalb, and 7.82 inches at Elgin.

    Almost 17″ in Aurora? Did they threaten a messenger from God, or what?

    Sorry about that. I should have IMed you instead. I thought better of it. My bad.

    • #11
  12. RushBabe49 Thatcher
    RushBabe49
    @RushBabe49

    The Wall Street Journal has been covering the flooding.  Is your family alright?  Of course, the usual suspects are blaming “global warming”.

    We here in Western Washington haven’t had any precipitation for about six weeks.

    • #12
  13. Arahant Member
    Arahant
    @Arahant

    Percival (View Comment):
    Sorry about that.

    Nah, no big deal. It had already been quoted.

    • #13
  14. The Scarecrow Thatcher
    The Scarecrow
    @TheScarecrow

    Yikes. I am flying into Dusseldorf on Thursday. 

    • #14
  15. Z in MT Member
    Z in MT
    @ZinMT

    And the Western US is having the worst drought in decades. Weather. 

    • #15
  16. Percival Thatcher
    Percival
    @Percival

    The Scarecrow (View Comment):

    Yikes. I am flying into Dusseldorf on Thursday.

    Remember to come down slowly in an open area. Shoot for the airport.

    • #16
  17. Hartmann von Aue Member
    Hartmann von Aue
    @HartmannvonAue

    9thDistrictNeighbor (View Comment):

    Someone on a Facebook group about horses said that a lot of this flooding is in agricultural areas and people are missing horses and cattle, no electricity, no internet. Some have said they are worried about the Steinbachtalsperre dam failing.

    They are. It’s held so far, but authorities are still warning people to stay away from the area. The number without power has fluctuated between 100,000 and a quarter of a million. 

     

    • #17
  18. Hartmann von Aue Member
    Hartmann von Aue
    @HartmannvonAue

    Percival (View Comment):

    I’ve been in Joliet whe we got over 13″ in a day.

    In the Austin area we generally got 39″ a year…in two installments. 

    But seriously, the situation in the Ahrweiler area, around Köln and Koblenz, is quiet dangerous. 

    • #18
  19. Hartmann von Aue Member
    Hartmann von Aue
    @HartmannvonAue

    Arahant (View Comment):

    Jules PA (View Comment):
    Still, seems a great outlier data point.

    History is full of those. No geo-engineering necessary. Here is a highway in Texas a few years back:

    A tropical storm came along and just sat over Houston for days, raining, raining, raining. Places like New Orleans and the Netherlands are very susceptible to these sorts of unusual weather events because they are beneath sea level. A few days ago, we had a highway or three closed down in Detroit because of flash-flooding. They were inundated. But that was an event that happens every few years. When an unusual event emerges, which they do, we suddenly want something to blame, like climate change. But the truth is there has always been variance in the climate, and that can mean very high variance indeed over three hundred years or so.

     

    That looks like the year we left, 2015. There  was massive flooding in the Austin/Bastrop area right after we came to Germany. 

    • #19
  20. Arahant Member
    Arahant
    @Arahant

    Hartmann von Aue (View Comment):
    That looks like the year we left, 2015. There  was massive flooding in the Austin/Bastrop area right after we came to Germany. 

    That was Katy Highway near Houston, and may have been a couple years later. I think I uploaded the picture to Ricochet not long after it happened and it’s dated as August 2017, although I could misremember.

    • #20
  21. Percival Thatcher
    Percival
    @Percival

    Seneca, Illinois got 4 1/4 to 4 1/2 inches in three hours four days ago. A bridge partially failed. A Ford truck partially fell in. The driver had a hell of a time getting out.

    • #21
  22. Hartmann von Aue Member
    Hartmann von Aue
    @HartmannvonAue

    Percival (View Comment):

    Seneca, Illinois got 4 1/4 to 4 1/2 inches in three hours four days ago. A bridge partially failed. A Ford truck partially fell in. The driver had a hell of a time getting out.

    Dang. 

    • #22
  23. Percival Thatcher
    Percival
    @Percival

    Hartmann von Aue (View Comment):

    Percival (View Comment):

    Seneca, Illinois got 4 1/4 to 4 1/2 inches in three hours four days ago. A bridge partially failed. A Ford truck partially fell in. The driver had a hell of a time getting out.

    Dang.

    I think it’s a F-250 XL. The extra length was more handy than usual, in this situation.

    • #23
  24. Jules PA Inactive
    Jules PA
    @JulesPA

    Percival (View Comment):

    Seneca, Illinois got 4 1/4 to 4 1/2 inches in three hours four days ago. A bridge partially failed. A Ford truck partially fell in. The driver had a hell of a time getting out.

    James Bond in the rain. 

    • #24
  25. Percival Thatcher
    Percival
    @Percival

    • #25
  26. Percival Thatcher
    Percival
    @Percival

    I was aiming for this PIT. How did I hit here?

    • #26
  27. Flicker Coolidge
    Flicker
    @Flicker

    Percival (View Comment):

    I was aiming for this PIT. How did I hit here?

    I liked it.

    • #27
  28. kedavis Coolidge
    kedavis
    @kedavis

    Percival (View Comment):

    Percival (View Comment):

     

    Damn that’s hilarious!

     

    • #28
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