Our live coverage has ended for the day. Read more about the severe flooding here.
At least 54 people have died due to?severe flooding in Western Europe, caused by what experts described as the heaviest rainfall in a century.
Up to 70 people are missing in?Germany?after flash floods swept across western and southern parts of the country, causing buildings to collapse, police said Thursday. Germany is worst hit with 49 people killed, while six people died in Belgium. Luxembourg and the Netherlands are also affected.
The German regions of North Rhine-Westphalia, Rhineland-Palatinate and Saarland were worst affected, Friedrich added.
Extreme rainfall totals were observed Wednesday into Thursday morning across much of western Germany and the Benelux region, with North Rhine-Westphalia and Rhineland-Palatinate seeing the highest rainfall totals, according to CNN Meteorologist Brandon Miller.
Widespread swaths of these states saw 24-hour rainfall totals between 100-150 mm (3.9-5.9 inches), which represent more than a month’s worth of rainfall in this region.
Cologne recorded 154 mm (6 inches) of rainfall in only 24 hours ending Thursday morning, which is nearly double its monthly average for July of 87 mm (3.45 inches).
Locally heavier downpours resulted in extreme flash flooding. In Reifferscheid, an incredible 207 mm (8.1 inches) of rain fell in only nine hours, according to the?European Severe Weather Database.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel sent her condolences to those affected by the flash floods that have swept through several states in her country.
“It’s very close to my heart,” she said, adding that she has been in close contact with authorities in her home country despite being away on a visit to the United States.?
The German chancellor also guaranteed that her government would support all those affected by the floods.
“We will support them in this horrible hour and we won’t leave them alone, we will help with the rebuilding,” she said.
Authorities in Germany say that at least 49 people have been found dead as a result of the flash floods that swept through parts of the country.
In North-Rhine?Westphalia, Germany’s most populous state, 30 people have been found dead, a spokesman for the state government told CNN on Thursday. According to the spokesman, at least 50 people were also injured in the floods.
The number of people missing is still unclear, the spokesman added.?
In Rhineland-Palatinate, at least 19 people were found dead but “that number is expected to rise,” a spokesman for police in Koblenz told CNN on Thursday. According to the spokesman, at 12 p.m. local earlier in the day, 70 people were unaccounted, adding that “that number has changed,” without providing further details.?
The Dutch city of Maastricht has called on residents of the Heugem and Randwyck districts to leave their homes “as soon as possible” due to rising water in the river Meuse.?
According to Dutch Statistics Office “Statline,” the population of the two neighborhoods is more than 9,000.
“The water in the Meuse is rising rapidly. We expect it to cross the quays at Randwyck/Heugem around 3 a.m,” a news release from the city council of Maastricht said. “This means water will end up in the streets and homes.”
A video from passerby Damien Ernst shows just how devastating the flooding in Liège, Belgium, has been.
More than 40 people are dead in Germany and Belgium following?severe flooding in the area, caused by what experts described as the heaviest rainfall in a century.
Watch the video:
Russia’s President Vladimir Putin sent his condolences to German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and German Chancellor Angela Merkel “over the tragic consequences of the cyclone that hit the western lands of Germany.”
“The President of Russia asked to convey words of sympathy and support to those who lost their family members and friends as a result of the disaster and wished a speedy recovery to the injured,” a Kremlin statement said.
Italy’s foreign ministry said in a statement on Twitter: “Deepest condolences to the Governments and peoples of Germany and Belgium for the lives lost to the terrible floods. Our thoughts are with the families of the victims. Italy stands ready to provide any support needed.”
The government of Wallonia, Belgium’s French-speaking region particularly impacted by the floods, will provide $2.9 billion (€2.5 billion) in emergency aid, it said in a news release on Thursday.?
The government pledged the money to “finance the logistical support, the material and human means to carry out emergency interventions (cleaning, debris removal, etc.)”
“The situation in Wallonia is dramatic. Floods of an unprecedented severity are currently impacting our region,” the release added.
Italy has sent support to Belgium after its?southern region of Wallonia?was hit by severe floods on Thursday, the Italian Civil Protection agency said in a statement.
Both personnel and vehicles that are used in rescue operations have been dispatched, the agency said, after a request for international assistance from the European Commission.
“A team made up of personnel from the Civil Protection Department and the National Fire Brigade has already reached Liège to ensure the necessary coordination with local authorities,” the agency added.
“In the next few hours, a C-130 flight of the Italian Air Force will depart from Venice” carrying “personnel and vehicles specialized in search and rescue in flood conditions,” the statement said.
“Furthermore, tomorrow a Defense helicopter will reach Belgium to support the search for the missing.”
At least 41 people have died as the result of severe flooding in Germany, according to local police, with dozens still unaccounted for.?
The death toll in northern Rhineland-Palatinate has risen to 19, police in Koblenz told CNN Thursday night.?
In Germany’s most populous state of North-Rhine Westphalia police told CNN that at least 20 people have died, including two firefighters.?
Workers from France’s Civil Protection Agency have arrived in the Belgium province of Liege to assist with recovery and rescue efforts as the region is hit by massive floods.
France was one of the countries that volunteered help to both Belgium and Germany after heavy downpours caused massive floods over the past few days.
The acting mayor of the Belgian city of Liege, Christine Defraigne, has called on residents?to evacuate or to take shelter if they are unable to leave.?
“The water level will rise to about one meter fifty. Therefore, we ask the inhabitants who can leave the city to do so, particularly those who live on the banks of the Meuse,” Defraigne told Belgium media on Thursday.
Defraigne?also said?that no one should be going into Liege at the time and that the peak of the floods had not been reached yet.?
Videos posted on social media showed police cars driving through Liege, broadcasting her message to the city’s residents on speakers.
Extreme rainfall totals were observed on Wednesday into Thursday morning across much of western Germany and the Benelux region, with the German provinces of North Rhine-Westphalia and Rhineland-Palatinate seeing the highest rainfall totals. Widespread swaths of these provinces saw 24-hour rainfall totals between 100-150 mm (3.93 to 5.9 inches), which represent more than an entire month’s worth of rainfall in this region.
Cologne recorded 154 mm (6 inches) of rainfall in only 24 hours ending Thursday morning, which represents nearly double its monthly average for July of 87 mm (3.45 inches).
Locally heavier downpours resulted in extreme flash-flooding. In Reifferscheid, Germany, an incredible 207 mm (8.1 inches) of rain fell in only 9 hours, according to the European Severe Weather Database.?
What caused so much rain? The extreme rainfall was the result of a slow-moving area of low pressure, which allowed a conveyor belt of warm and moist air to fuel powerful thunderstorms and bring heavy, long-lasting rainfall, according to the German national weather service, DWD.
Intense rainfall rates are becoming more common in the warming climate, as warmer air can hold more water vapor that is available to fall as rain.
“The fact that other parts of the northern hemisphere are currently suffering record-breaking heatwaves and fires should serve as a reminder of just much more dangerous our weather could become in an ever-warmer world,” Cloke added.
The water supplier in Belgium’s Wallonia region, the SWDE (Societé Wallone des Eaux) has advised its customers not to drink water if it comes out of the tap cloudy, after floods in the country overwhelmed water collection points and affected water quality.
SWDE said in a statement Thursday that the floods caused water to rush into some collections points and alter the quality of water.
The company went on to say that in a multitude of cases, its teams had been able to implement alternative solutions to ensure continued water supply but that it hadn’t been possible to do so in all cases. The company advised customers to be cautious.
“In networks affected by dirty or cloudy water, tap water cannot be used for food even when boiled,” the company warned. “We recommend for use limited to the basic sanitary needs (WC) and for personal hygiene if the water is slightly cloudy.”
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the country stands ready to assist Europe’s recovery effort after severe flooding on the continent left dozens dead.
“Shocking to see the devastating flooding across Germany, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Belgium,” Johnson tweeted.
“My thoughts are with the families of the victims and all those affected. The UK is ready to provide any support needed in the rescue and recovery effort,” he added.
Angela Merkel’s spokesman Steffen Seibert offered the chancellors’ condolences to the families of victims.
”I am shocked by the disaster that so many people in the?flood areas have to endure. My sympathies go out to the families of the dead and missing,”?he tweeted.
Armin Laschet, the premier of North Rhine-Westphalia and the Conservatives’ candidate to succeed Merkel, visited the region on Thursday.
“We will be faced with such events over and over, and that means we need to speed up climate protection measures, on European, federal and global levels, because climate change isn’t confined to one state,” Laschett said.
Defense Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer said she is deploying more military personnel to the severe weather disaster in the west and southwest.
“The Bundeswehr is helping quickly and without complications in Hagen and Ahrweiler with currently 300 soldiers,” she tweeted.
In neighboring Belgium, at least six people died in the?floods that hit the southern region of Wallonia, CNN affiliate RTBF reported Thursday, citing the magistrate on duty at the Verviers prosecutor’s office and the governor of the Liège province.
These people died after heavy rain impacted the region, RTBF also said.
France has offered to help and sent 40 firefighter-rescuers to?Belgium, the French?interior minister Gérald Darmanin tweeted on Thursday.
The European Union activated the civil emergency response mechanism to help areas of Belgium affected by?floods, the EU Commission said Thursday?in a statement.
“Belgium, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Germany you can count on the EU’s help to face these dramatic?floods.?My thoughts are with the victims of these tragic events and with all who will have to rebuild what they have lost.?I want to thank all rescue teams for their invaluable help and relentless efforts,” EU Council president Charles Michel tweeted Thursday.
The southern region of Wallonia in Belgium, that borders with the German region of North-Rhine Westphalia, is one of the worst affected by the?floods.
The?floods have disrupted the national railway network, Infrabel, which has interrupted traffic in the French-speaking south of the country, the company announced Thursday in a news release.
“Once the situation will be under control, Infrabel will assess the damages, set up its priorities and carry out all necessary actions towards a safe resumption of the traffic,” Gilson added.
France has offered to help with the?flooding and sent 40 firefighter-rescuers to Belgium, the French interior minister Gérald Darmanin tweeted on Thursday.
The local government of Wallonia said that?floods are “dramatically” impacting a high number of citizens.
“The government of Wallonia is constantly monitoring the evolution of the situation,” it said Wednesday in a news release, recommending that the population uses extreme caution given the weather forecast.
German chancellor Angela Merkel said she is “shocked” by the news of the deadly?floods that have hit some parts of her country and called it a “catastrophe.”
She added: “I am shocked by the news that has reached me from the places that are now completely under water in which the people in greatest need climbed on the roofs of their houses and hopefully will be saved.”
Merkel acknowledged and thanked the many countries that have expressed solidarity with Germany and offered to help.
“I mourn for those who have lost their lives in this catastrophe — we do not yet know these numbers but there will be many,” she added.?
The German Chancellor went on to say the focus is currently on the rescue and immediate response to those affected by the?floods, but added that she was in close contact with her country’s finance minister, Olaf Scholz, to work on a strategy for longer-term financial aid to help with recovery.
The news of at least 40 people dying in Germany due to severe flooding caused by heavy rains comes as German Chancellor Angela Merkel is on her last likely visit to Washington, DC, in her term.
She is expected to address the flooding during a press conference that she will hold alongside President Biden, the fourth US President she has met in her time as German Chancellor.
At least 46 people have died due to severe flooding in western Europe, caused by what experts described as the heaviest rainfall in a century.
The death toll in the severe?flooding?in Germany has risen to 40, according to police, with dozens unaccounted for.
Six people have also died in Belgium, bringing the total death toll from the recent?flooding?in the region to 46.
Up to 70 people are missing in?Germany?after flash floods swept across western and southern parts of the country, causing buildings to collapse, police said Thursday. Luxembourg and the Netherlands are also affected.?