Mayors of flood-hit German towns call for more aid

The mayors of three German towns badly hit by last month’s deadly floods are appealing for more help from the state and federal governments, saying the disaster caused billions of dollars worth of damage

BERLIN -- The mayors of three German towns badly hit by last month's deadly floods are appealing for more help from the state and federal governments, saying the disaster caused billions of euros (dollars) worth of damage. Speaking at a news conference Wednesday, the mayors said they had written to German Chancellor Angela Merkel and the governor of Rhineland-Palatinate state, Malu Dreyer. They said they were seeking further financial help and the appointment of a special commissioner to oversee the reconstruction in the Ahr Valley, where at least 138 people were killed. The mayor of Bad Neuenahr-Ahrweiler said his town estimates the damage to individuals, businesses and public infrastructure to be at least 3 billion euros ($3.6 billion). Guido Orthen said his community needs authorities to dispense with some of the usual regulations and make “unconventional decisions” given the scale of the destruction. His colleague Andreas Geron, the mayor of nearby Sinzig, said the disaster in the valley would “shape a generation.”