2021 European floods

2021 European floods

The Aare River in Switzerland on 15 July nearly overtopping its banks
Date	12 July 2021–ongoing
Location	Belgium France Germany Italy Luxembourg Netherlands Switzerland United Kingdom
Deaths	103 in Germany 14 in Belgium 1 in Italy 1,300 missing
Property damage	200,000 properties left without power

The 2021 European floods are a series of ongoing severe floods which began on 12 July 2021. They have affected several river basins, starting in the United Kingdom before spreading into Belgium, France, Germany, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Switzerland and northern Italy. Damage was especially severe in Germany where at least 103 people died and an estimated 1,300 others were unaccounted for as of 16 July.

Rain

On 14–15 July 2021, heavy rain fell across western Germany and neighboring Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxembourg. A storm complex moved east from France into Germany and stalled over the region for two days. Precipitation was most intense in the North Rhine-Westphalia and Rhineland-Palatinate in Germany where accumulations averaged 100 to 150 mm (3.9 to 5.9 in), equivalent to more than a month's-worth of rain. In Reifferscheid, 207 mm (8.1 in) fell within a nine-hour period while Cologne observed 154 mm (6.1 in) in 24-hours. According to the German weather service, some of the affected regions have not seen rainfall of this magnitude in over 100 years. Floods began in Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands and Switzerland on 14 July 2021 after record rainfall in western Europe, causing multiple rivers to burst their banks.

Nicole van Lipzig, a geographer at the research university KU Leuven said the flooding was the result of ongoing climate change and that a similar meteorological event would not have happened on such a scale 100 years ago.

Impact

At least 118 people have been killed by the floods, including 103 in Germany, 1 in Italy, and 14 in Belgium. The floods are among the deadliest natural disasters in Germany in living memory. 1,300 people are missing in Germany.

Belgium

On 15 July, all residents of Liège, the third-largest urban area in Belgium with a population of approximately 200,000, were urged to evacuate amidst fears that the River Meuse (Maas) could burst its banks and that a dam bridge could collapse. No vehicles were allowed into the city centre of Liège, traffic was only allowed to leave as part of the evacuation. By 16 July, several smaller municipalities in Limburg Province were also given the order to be evacuated. In addition, due to the heavy flooding, a number of municipalities in Liège and Namur provinces were left without potable tap water. All train services in the Wallonia region were suspended, and around 21,000 people were left without electricity in the region. A passenger train was derailed at Grupont when the trackbed was washed out by floodwater. The overall damages to the rail network were estimated to take several weeks to repair. Early estimations also pointed to severe damage to the agricultural sector of the country, including long-term effects like soil erosion. During the flooding itself, farms and livestock had to be evacuated and many fields damaged and crops destroyed by inundation.

The Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps suffered damage to access roads and its digital safety infrastructure. The circuit is due to hold the 2021 Belgian Grand Prix on 29 August.

Germany

Flood damage in Hagen, Germany.

In Germany, 70 people were reported missing from the Eifel region. Westnetz, Germany's biggest power distribution grid, said on 15 July that 200,000 properties in the North Rhine-Westphalia and Rhineland-Palatinate regions were without power in Germany, and that it would be impossible to repair substations until roads were cleared. The Deutscher Wetterdienst said that the quantity of rain in some areas of Germany were the highest for over 100 years. They predicted less rain in the affected areas on 16 July. They reported that some areas had received a month's average rainfall in one day.

The worst damage from the flood was in the district of Ahrweiler, Rhineland-Palatinate, where the river Ahr rose, destroying many buildings and killing at least 18 people. On 14 July, the city of Hagen declared a state of emergency, after the Volme river started overflowing its banks. The village of Kordel in Trier-Saarburg, which has around 2,000 residents, has been completely cut off. 4,500 people in villages in North Rhine-Westphalia had to be evacuated. On 15 July, Thalys train services to Germany were suspended, and Deutsche Bahn said that many rail services in North Rhine-Westphalia were also cancelled. Deutsche Bahn reported that over 600 kilometres (370 mi) of track was affected in North-Rhine Westphalia. The Cologne–Wuppertal–Hagen–Dortmund and Cologne–Bonn Hauptbahnof–Koblenz lines were closed. The Cologne–Bonn Bruel–Koblenz line remained open, but trains were subject to delay and cancellation.

In Blessem, floodwaters of the Erft indudated a quarry on 16 July, leading to a major landslide with several people reported to have been killed.

Luxembourg

In Luxembourg, 2,000 people were evacuated from their homes in Trier, Echternach and Rosport. Many homes in Mersch, Beringen and Rollingen lost electricity supply.

Netherlands

Flood of the Geul in the centre of Valkenburg, Netherlands

In the Netherlands, the River Maas near Limburg reached its highest summertime level in over a hundred years, according to authorities, and was expected as of 15 July to surpass the winter records set in 1993 and 1995. On 14 July, the Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute gave a code red highest warning for Limburg. It was lowered to a yellow warning at around 03:50 local time on 15 July. Much of the rest of the Netherlands had a yellow warning for rain on 15 July. Over 400 houses in Limburg lost power according to electricity company Enexis. As of 16 July 2021, mass evacuations started in Limburg and 300 military personnel were deployed.

Switzerland

Video of a swollen river in Thun, Switzerland, on July 13th, 2021.

On 15 July, Switzerland's weather service warned that flooding in the country would worsen over the next few days, potentially equalling the levels of the 2005 "flood of the century" and that there was a particularly high risk of flooding on Lake Biel, Lake Thun and Lake Lucerne, as well as a risk of landslides. That day, the water level in Lake Lucerne reached the highest warning level.

United Kingdom

The cut-off low that caused the severe flooding across western Europe first moved over the United Kingdom on 12 July, resulting in more than the average monthly rainfall total to be recorded in a 24-hour period across parts of the country. Particularly severe flash flooding was reported in the London area, where 47.8 mm (1.88 in) of rainfall was recorded on 12 July at Kew, marking the third wettest day on record for that weather station and the wettest since 6 July 1983. Both Putney in London and Chipstead in Surrey recorded more than 31 mm (1.2 in) of rainfall in a one-hour period, while other areas of London recorded over 76.2 mm (3.00 in) of rain in 90 minutes. The London Fire Brigade received more than 1,000 calls relating to flooding incidents, as houses were evacuated and cars were submerged by quickly rising floodwaters.

Heavy rainfall caused sewer systems to overflow, unable to handle the sudden intensity of the rainfall, resulting in streets and buildings being flooded by raw sewage. Thames Water received more than 2,500 calls relating to overflowing sewage, stating that the rainfall had surpassed the design capability of their sewage system; the heaviest rainfall occurred close to high tide, resulting in sewers that empty into the River Thames being unable to do so. In Notting Hill, floodwaters rose by 1.5 ft (0.46 m) in less than five minutes.

Sloane Square tube station was closed after floodwater from street level surged down stairways into the underground station; Chalk Farm, Hampstead and Wimbledon stations were also closed due to flooding. There was also a reduced level of service at Euston railway station, the London terminus of the West Coast Main Line, and across the London Overground and Thameslink networks.

Overnight into 13 July, more than 120 residents of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea were placed into emergency accommodation due to severe flooding in the borough. Elsewhere in England, flooding was reported in the city of Southampton, blocking roads and railway lines. Scientists and analysts attributed the unusually heavy rainfall across the United Kingdom to climate change, warning of similar events with an increasing frequency in future. By 14 July, the low pressure system responsible for the United Kingdom floods had moved over mainland Europe.

Response

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said she was "shocked by the catastrophe that so many people in the flood areas have to endure" and that her "sympathy goes out to the families of the dead and missing."

Malu Dreyer, the governor of the Rhineland-Palatinate state, told the regional parliament: "There are people dead, there are people missing, there are many who are still in danger. We have never seen such a disaster. It's really devastating." On 15 July, the Belgian royal couple King Philippe and Queen Mathilde traveled to Chaudfontaine, which had been particularly badly hit by the flooding.

The President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, the EU Council President Charles Michel and the European Commissioner for Crisis Management Janez Lenarčič all quickly provided statements of condolences for the victims and that the European Union was ready to help. After a Belgian request, the European Union Civil Protection Mechanism was activated on 14 July, and a helicopter and a flood rescue team was sent from France to Belgium immediately after this. The EU also provided satellite mapping of affected areas.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson of the United Kingdom also said the UK was ready to provide assistance while Italy and Austria offered to send flood rescue teams to affected areas in Belgium. Pope Francis sent condolences, and was praying for those injured and missing, as well as those who had lost their livelihoods.

See also

• List of floods