It was the summer of 2021 when the Ar valley in western Germany was hit by deadly floods. The area was unprepared, the early warning system did not work, the tragic toll was over 180 dead and incalculable damage that has not yet been repaired.

Memories rekindle in southwestern Germany. No dead, but already with enormous damage, the state of Saarland and some areas in the states of Rhineland-Palatinate and Baden-Württemberg have been affected in recent days by devastating floods and landslides, following heavy rains.

Civil Protection is on alert in Saarbrucken, near the border with France, while the German Meteorological Service warns of worsening weather in some of the affected areas with further heavy rain and storms.

The problems in the road and railway network, as well as in the electricity network, are serious. According to local authorities, rainfall and floods of this intensity are recorded every twenty to fifty years.

Chancellor Olaf Solz visited the state of Saarland on Saturday, expressing the solidarity of the federal government to the residents of the region. “We have a strong tradition of solidarity,” he said. “No one should be left at the mercy of the rain in this difficult situation.”

State Premier Anke Rechlinger, also from the Social Democrats, said the state’s authorities were on high alert and pledged to provide all those affected with immediate support.

“The federal government supports Saarland with strong forces and with a view to the protection of life,” the German Interior Minister Nancy Feser said for her part.