Flood disaster in the Rems-Murr district: brave rescuers in action!

In May 2024, there was a devastating flood disaster in the Rems-Murr district, which led to dangerous currents in the rivers due to heavy rainfall. On a critical day, two people in an inflatable boat on the Rems were in acute danger of their lives. According to a report by the Stuttgart newspaper The boat's occupants struggled to reach the shore, which was almost impossible due to the strong current. One of the people was finally able to make an emergency call, which triggered the alarm for the fire department and the German Life Saving Society (DLRG). Operations manager Markus Mulfinger was on site and led the rescue efforts.

Two days after the flood disaster, on June 4, 2024, they reported Stuttgart News about the situation in the Rems-Murr district. The risk of flooding primarily affected the Wieslauf and Remstal areas as well as the communities of Schorndorf, Rudersberg, Kaisersbach, Alfdorf and Berglen. Tragically, a 58-year-old and his 84-year-old mother drowned in Schorndorf-Miedelsbach while trying to pump out their basement.

Rescue and clean-up work

Clean-up work in the affected areas is in full swing. Residents and emergency services collect scrap and clean the full basements. The mayor of Rudersberg, Raimon Ahrens, expressed the hope that a supermarket would reopen soon. In Schorndorf, mourning flags were ordered at the town hall, while requests and offers of help are being coordinated in the municipality of Berglen.

Volunteers support the clean-up work in Rudersberg, which is coordinated at the town hall. Containers for construction rubble, residual waste and scrap have been set up at several locations, and a citizens' telephone number has been set up on 07183 3005-0. The district office has also set up a donation account; The information is available on the district website. The volunteer forces have to deal with a high number of missions and are challenged, especially since numerous roads in the Rems-Murr district are still closed.

The weather conditions that resulted in this flood disaster were extreme; Within 45 minutes, a thunderstorm cell developed that brought rainfall of over 100 liters per square meter. In the Welzheim Forest in particular, more rain fell in the last four weeks than normally occurs in six months. The long-term effects of the flood on flood and heavy rain management in the Rems-Murr district are expected subsequently.