Armin Laschet is standing in the middle of the disaster area in Altena, with masses of water flowing right next to him. But it is not a rubber boot appearance in the Gerhard Schröder manner. But a “silent visit”, the internal term for a visit without the press.
It was difficult to get here, entire streets were washed away, parts of the city were cut off, auto suppliers in the structurally weak region are reporting a total loss due to masses of water and mud. Only the visit of the North Rhine-Westphalian Prime Minister to the crisis team in Hagen was announced. The fire brigade, mayor and journalists wait for him there for two hours in the morning because he is staying in Altena for a very long time.
A reporter from Radio MK happened to see Laschet there and interviewed him spontaneously. Laschet is visibly affected. “That is extremely dramatic,” he says of the enormous damage in the city in the Sauerland, where the castle is home to the world’s first youth hostel. Due to its location in the Lenne valley, the masses of water could cause such destruction.
“I was in southern Germany yesterday and canceled everything and drove here during the night,” says Laschet. He immediately spoke to Markus Söder and Alexander Dobrindt and canceled his appearance at the CSU retreat in Seeon, Bavaria, which was planned for Thursday.
And now Laschet has to fight a catastrophe that came almost overnight. Two firefighters would have lost their lives here in Altena while working for others. No word can replace this loss for the families.
He expressed his sympathy in the control center. What he would like to say to the people in Altena, the reporter asks: “There are many millions of people who are thinking of them now.” The election campaign is now a minor matter. Bavaria is offering help to North Rhine-Westphalia and Rhineland-Palatinate, which is also badly affected. “In this dire situation, solidarity is required,” tweeted Laschet’s opponent for the Union’s candidacy for chancellor, Markus Söder.
Memories of the 2002 election campaign
Of course, memories come up straight away, it was mainly two SPD politicians who proved themselves as crisis managers in times of flood. Helmut Schmidt during the Hamburg storm surge in 1962 and Gerhard Schröder during the Elbe flood in 2002.
At that time, Schröder stole the show from Edmund Stoiber, the Union’s candidate for chancellor, in the final phase of the Bundestag election campaign, when he visited flooded cities in rubber boots and stood on the dikes.
And Stoiber recognized the dimension too late and did not go straight to the disaster region. The citizens honored Schröder’s crisis management and the Chancellor managed to turn the tide and push the SPD just in front of the Union on election evening.
When a flood disaster occurs, top politicians are initially only visitors who can do little. Because the crisis management runs through the local authorities.
Initially, there is not much more than consolation and sympathy. Laschet promises, however, that after the rescue an inventory of the damage will be made, the municipalities will not be left alone.
His people report that it is unbelievable what damage reports have been received in the NRW situation center.
Scholz goes there too, Baerbock shortens the vacation
SPD chancellor candidate and vice chancellor Olaf Scholz set off immediately, but he travels to the particularly affected Ahrweiler in Rhineland-Palatinate, where his party friend Malu Dreyer rules.
Green Chancellor candidate Annalena Baerbock is still on vacation, but is coming back earlier. “The devastating extent of the floods is staggering, my thoughts and my sympathy go with the people who mourn relatives, care for the missing and care for the injured,” she says. “The rescue workers are doing everything they can, giving their lives. Political deductions are still forbidden, now is the moment for emergency aid, say the Greens.
But it could even be that this event of the century will do more harm to the Union’s candidate for chancellor in the election campaign – suddenly the issue of the Greens, the fight against climate change, has come back into focus.
Laschet calls for more dynamism in climate protection
In May 2019, Laschet said on “Anne Will”: “For some reason, the climate issue, I think very much connected to Greta, suddenly became a global issue.” He was long considered a brake, fought for a late exit from lignite.
When he finally arrives in Hagen, where he had already spent the night, he emphasizes in the fire station how hard it was to tell 50-year-old employees of lignite power plants that they will soon have to take early retirement. And he says what many see a little differently: NRW is the state that is doing the most for climate protection, especially because of the painful gradual phase-out of lignite.
As chairman of the last major people’s party, he feels it is his duty to carefully weigh all interests, including social ones, on the subject.
He calls for more dynamism in climate protection in Hagen, “worldwide”. But he himself has only just drawn a lot of criticism again, because of the planned, general distance rules for wind turbines from 1000 meters to residential areas, which can stifle the expansion. In Hagen he also praised himself for another package of measures: “There is no other federal state that has a climate adaptation law”.
He has to ask himself uncomfortable questions
At the same time, however, he is also asked about the increasing consumption of land that can promote such catastrophes. And suddenly the question arises for NRW as well: Is there a need for more dykes everywhere, therefore billions of dollars for climate change adaptation, has something been missed? “The question of the dike is a very important question, especially on the Rhine,” admits Laschet. The questions in Hagen already show that Laschet is vulnerable and on the defensive on this issue.
Recently, a dispute escalated with the Greens parliamentary deputy Oliver Krischer, who wants to get a direct mandate from the Bundestag in Laschet’s hometown of Aachen and has good chances – Laschet preferred to be covered by the state list in terms of Bundestag entry than against Krischer. “This Laschet policy is killing people all over the world – especially in Canada -” Krischer tweeted when the heat records there hit the headlines.
Krischer is now out and about in the disaster area himself, there are floods where he would never have thought it possible, Laschet prefers not to say anything about Laschet’s politics on this day, for the first time it is about saving lives and limiting damage.
The emergency services are in many places at the end of their tether. “We urgently need nationwide coordinated support,” says Krischer. “Many people in North Rhine-Westphalia are literally standing in front of the ruins of their existence, they now have to be helped quickly and unbureaucratically. Even smaller rivers are now flooding entire towns. ”
Martin Schulz and the “Volga von Würselen”
Former SPD leader Martin Schulz sent a video from Würselen with the message: “My little river, the worm has turned into a raging body of water. The Volga from Würselen. “
If the drinking water and power supply as well as the communication structures suddenly collapse in some places, old people’s homes have to be evacuated and dams threaten to break, then the big questions arise? How is Germany prepared for the increase in extreme weather events caused by climate change? How can this be insured?
And so it is not at all clear whether the man in the executive will benefit again in this case – Laschet now has a major test and the election campaign, which has so far focused on the screening of the candidate Baerbock, is a very serious topic. It is precisely such events that highlight what the future might look like.
It is important for Laschet to emphasize that this is not about election campaigns or party politics. And so he first directs the debate to current events, gives the serious crisis manager – without a show.
Here in Hagen you can see as an example how well the cooperation between the rescue forces and crisis teams worked. And emphasizes: “That is not a situation with which you want to create images.” The important thing is that you are there. “When there is a crisis, you have to decide quickly. But today we have to help people first. “
I am a technology author with 8 years of experience in journalism. My writing covers the latest technology advancements and trends, drawing on my expertise in news journalism and social media platforms. I have contributed to major media outlets such as The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and Reuters.
