Renewed investigations against ex-district administrator Pföhler called for – scandal in the Ahr Valley!

Renewed investigations against ex-district administrator Pföhler called for – scandal in the Ahr Valley!

In the Ahr Valley, where the wounds of the devastating flood disaster in July 2021 have not yet healed, a current inquiry is causing unrest: Former district administrator Jürgen Pföhler (CDU), who was targeted by the Koblenz public prosecutor's office because of allegations of negligent homicide in 135 cases and negligent bodily harm in office, will not be charged. Now Gerd Gräff, former deputy head of the disaster control department in the Rhineland-Palatinate Ministry of the Interior and expert in the flood investigation committee, is calling for the investigation against Pföhler to be resumed. In a letter to Amnesty International, Gräff draws attention to the inadequacies of the previous investigations and wants to reignite the discussion about the trauma of the flood disaster. He himself does not accept the public prosecutor's decision, as rhein-zeitung.de reports.

The public prosecutor's office has completed the investigation after more than two and a half years. During the review, over 300 witnesses were interviewed, including fire and municipal employees and affected residents. The procedure is considered to be the most extensive in the Koblenz public prosecutor's office. In addition, over 20 terabytes of digital data were secured and 11,000 emergency calls were evaluated. Despite serious allegations against Pföhler, who is accused of passing on important warnings about the extreme water levels too late and declaring the disaster late, the public prosecutor's office emphasizes that the extent of the natural disaster could not be specifically predicted. Although experts had identified deficiencies in disaster protection, they did not see any criminal relevance, as tagesschau.de reports.

Consequences of the disaster and reconstruction

The flood disaster that struck the Ahr Valley from July 14th to 15th, 2021 claimed 135 lives in Rhineland-Palatinate and 49 in North Rhine-Westphalia, and is considered one of the worst natural disasters in Germany. The images of flooded streets and destroyed houses are still all too present to those affected. Cornelia Weigand, the mayor of Altenahr at the time of the disaster and now district administrator for the Ahrweiler district, plans to make the reconstruction sustainable and improve disaster protection. She announced a water restoration concept that includes, among other things, widening riverbeds and creating areas to absorb water. In addition, 87 digital sirens were installed to better warn the population of floods in the future, as sueddeutsche.de reports.

In addition, engineers are proposing the construction of 17 retention ponds to prevent future disasters. These measures could cost between 1.5 and 2 billion euros. However, concerns about the impact on the landscape were raised by Interior Minister Michael Ebling. In view of the lessons learned from the disaster, work is currently underway to reform civil protection with the aim of regularly updating alarm and operational plans in municipalities.

Looking into the future

After the flood, a separate disaster control unit was set up in the Ahrweiler district in order to be better prepared in the future. Weigand emphasizes that there can be no 100% security and calls for greater awareness among the population about the dangers of flooding. Their plan to build an information center for flood and disaster protection is intended to help provide citizens with the necessary information and raise awareness.

The current situation surrounding the investigations against Pföhler and the sustainable measures in disaster control show that the Ahrtal is committed to both coming to terms with the tragedy and proactively planning for the future. It remains to be seen whether Gerd Gräff's demands will be heard and whether new investigations will be initiated.