Floods in Southern Germany Kill Four

Thousands were forced to evacuate their homes this weekend after heavy rains caused extreme flooding in southern Germany. Four people have died so far.

• A 42-year-old firefighter died when he and his rescue crew capsized on a river near Munich.
• The body of a woman who had been missing since Saturday was found in her basement in Upper Bavaria.
• Two other bodies were found in the basement of a building in Baden-Württemberg.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz visited the flooded region today. During a visit to Reichersthofen in Bavaria, he said solidarity was what people needed most. “We will do everything we can … to ensure that help can be provided more quickly,” he added.

Many are concerned the flooding could cause disruption to rail links around Munich, Nuremberg and Stuttgart, which would affect hundreds of thousands of football fans traveling across the country for the Euro 2024 football championships.

More extreme: The flood comes three years after a catastrophic flood in western Germany claimed over 180 lives and caused billions of euros’ worth of damage. Entire towns and villages have flooded over the weekend, leading many to wonder if floods have become the new normal.

Johannes Quaas, a meteorologist at Leipzig University in eastern Germany, said the country is not necessarily seeing more frequent floods, “[b]ut when they occur, they are now more extreme.” The intensity of rainfall in Germany is 15 percent higher than the 19th century, he added.

Europe as a whole was 7 percent wetter than average last year, with flooding impacting 1.6 million people around the Continent.

Why natural disasters? Throughout history, God has used extreme weather to punish and teach nations. Those who disobey God’s law as revealed in the Bible will have to learn the hard way. Increased flooding is one way we see this happening.

To learn more, read our free booklet Why ‘Natural’ Disasters?