Restaurant Laufenmühle in Welzheim: New road closure is imminent!

Restaurant Laufenmühle in Welzheim: New road closure is imminent!

The landlady of the Laufenmühle restaurant in Welzheim, Maria Dolores Diz, is facing new challenges. After a serious rain disaster last year, which led to sales losses of up to 80 percent, there is now a threat of another road closure, which could put additional strain on local businesses. The planned closure of the Welzheim – Rudersberg – Klaffenbach state road, which is due to come into force at the beginning of August, is necessary in order to carry out extensive repair work on the road. This measure is a direct result of last year's extreme weather events, which caused devastating damage in many parts of Germany.

In the summer of 2021, extreme storms occurred in Germany, especially in Rhineland-Palatinate and North Rhine-Westphalia, which led to massive flooding. According to reports from the bpb, up to 150 liters of rain per square meter fell within 24 hours in some regions on July 14th and 15th. These heavy rain events, which are classified as “events of the century”, caused by the Bernd low pressure area, had catastrophic consequences. More than 180 people lost their lives and many more went missing.

Consequences of the flood disaster

The damage left by the flood disaster is enormous. Infrastructure damage in Germany was estimated at around two billion euros, while insured losses were between 4.5 and 5.5 billion euros, higher than the previous flood damage in 2013. The impact was not just limited to the immediate areas: at least 36 people also died in Belgium, and numerous regions across Europe suffered the consequences. In the affected German regions such as the Ahrtal, Eifel and the city of Trier, a large number of emergency services and volunteers had to be mobilized to provide immediate assistance.

The federal and state governments have provided emergency aid of 200 million euros each to support those affected. There are also efforts to improve the warning systems, as the German Weather Service's forecasts were correct, but the dissemination of information to the population was criticized. Modernizations are planned, such as the introduction of “cell broadcasting” in order to better warn citizens in the future.

Outlook for reconstruction

In Welzheim, the current closure of the state road is already a sign of the ongoing challenges facing the region. Maria Dolores Diz and her restaurant, which was already severely affected by the flood disaster, now have to adapt again. The discussion about measures to improve flood protection and adapt to climate change is becoming increasingly urgent in order to better cope with future disasters.

The repeated heavy rain events and the associated increase in water volumes in the atmosphere, which is favored by climate change, show the need for a comprehensive rethinking of infrastructure and flood protection in Germany. The new measures, such as the expansion of dams and the renaturation of rivers, are not only preventative, but also urgently necessary to increase the resilience of communities.