In the St. John’s Church in Hagen the bells ring this afternoon. Two young people get married, a wedding car drives in front. A photographer takes pictures that guests applaud. Behind the church, just 100 meters away, stands Michael Hanamura. Next to him piles of rubble. In front of a tattoo parlor is a mattress, shelves, garbage bags.
It has been less than 48 hours since the Volme crossed the banks. The water is gone, the mud has remained. A brown layer obscures the streets, in front of almost every house entrance lies debris. Hanamura had a gym here, where he practiced martial arts with a friend. The appliances are gone, for eight hours he has been clearing out his cellar compartment and the compartments of the neighbors.
Prime Minister and candidate for Chancellor Armin Laschet (CDU) gave a statement at the local fire station on Thursday afternoon. All of Germany looked at Hagen for a moment. Laschet praised the crisis management and the rapid response of the city, the state. Already in the afternoon he made his way to another church. So many municipalities in North Rhine-Westphalia and Rhineland-Palatinate have been hit by storms, all now need support and quick help. Debris must be removed, missing persons found and, in the worst case, deceased persons recovered.
What’s next? With those who have escaped with their lives, but whose houses are desolate? “Until now, the country has not really helped,” says Michael Hanamura. He’d rather do it himself. For his basement, he now needs a dryer machine. “But they will probably be sold out here in the region.«
A woman offers a place to sleep, a man wants to give away food
Only a few hundred meters downstream is the Hagener Allerwelthaus. There is a cafe, a world shop, a cultural bureau. Food and empty bottles are stacked in front of the entrance. “The situation is catastrophic,” says Christa Burghardt. She is on the board of the Allerwelthaus and coordinates the clean-up work. “Our basement was under water up to the ceiling, it is a destruction without end.«
Many helpers go in and out. They leave the building with full boxes and dirty boots. “Many helpers are on duty, but we are now dependent on donations,” says Burghardt. Armin Laschet’s visit did not leave a lasting impression on her: “What I heard from him did not convince me. He was very inconclusive, I also lack confidence,” she says.
More concrete is the Facebook group “Nachbarschaftshilfe Hagen”. A woman from Wuppertal offers a place to sleep. Some want to help with wearing or donate clothes. Christian Schröder also wants to help. He gives food to the needy, presents it at his window. “I haven’t had electricity for two days and I don’t want things to go bad,” he says. At 5 p.m. on Friday, no one has come yet, but he continues to wait.
Also an entry of a handball club from Hagen-Dahl can be found in the group. The TUS Volmetal collects donations with a call on its website. Jens Schilling’s smartphone vibrates regularly. “More than 100 people have already contacted us by e-mail,” says the marketing manager of the handball club. More than 25,000 euros have already been collected on a PayPal account. Countless requests for donations in kind would be added.
Soldiers in Hagen-Dahl on Thursday: The Bundeswehr helps with the clean-up work
Photo: INA FASSBENDER / AFP
The Volmetal was particularly hit by the flood. A Bundeswehr tank stands on the forecourt of the local fire station in Hagen-Dahl. On a square opposite the Church of the Resurrection, District Mayor Peter Neuhaus stands in an orange rain jacket in front of a closed bridge. “This is a flood of the century, on the order of magnitude we last had it in 1925,” he says. He was grateful that the Bundeswehr was on site. In addition, the neighborhood aids ran fantastic in the small town. “Everyone helps.«
Christoph Schmidt lives in the house opposite the closed bridge. He witnessed the water rising hour by hour on Wednesday. “You felt the fear when you stood here, we were all afraid for our lives,” he says. His basement was flooded, the garage with his car was also full. Now some neighbors stand on his doorstep, washing dirty wooden slats and carrying items from the basement. “People even come from the mountain to the village and help,” says Schmidt. A fire crew with a pump runs across the square, on the other side of the bridge a tank passes by.
Blocked bridge over the Volme: hour after hour the water rose
Photo: SASCHA SCHUERMANN / AFP
In the air is the pungent smell of diesel. It’s 6: 00. Michael Rohn’s living room also smells of oil and mud. The floor has come up through the force of the water. “We were up there for an hour and then the water suddenly stood 1.30 meters high,” says Rohn. Still on Wednesday morning he wanted to take a hotel room when the rain was already starting. But the restaurant was fully booked, so his wife and he had to move to the first floor.
In his kitchen, the refrigerator has overturned, the floor is full of mud. “We don’t have elementary insurance, we have to pay for everything ourselves,” he says. He now lives upstairs, needs to renovate his house from scratch. “I have hopes for unbureaucratic aid, but I don’t believe in it,” he says. He does not think of Laschet’s appearance. “They stand in rubber boots, but are not affected themselves,” he says. His two cars are also gone. His daughter will bring her second car from Düsseldorf so that he is mobile again.
You can read the latest news from the severe weather region here.
The volunteer fire department Hagen-Dahl pumped out about 50 cellars on Thursday alone. Head of Operations Stefan Halverscheid praises the commitment of the residents. “The farmers cleared the roads with their tractors on Thursday.”On Friday, the Bundeswehr arrived to take over this task. Halverscheid looks at his smartphone. “We are done for today, we have no more bets,” he says. “Hopefully after work.”A group of five people is sitting in front of a hair salon on Dahler Straße. You took off your rubber boots, have a beer. Next to them is the rubble. The tide will keep you busy for a long time.