Residents of flood-hit German towns tell of short lead time

With the death toll and economic damage from last week’s floods in Germany continuing to rise, some residents are asking why systems designed to warn people of the impending disaster didn’t work

AHRWEILER, Germany -- Like other residents of his town in Germany, Wolfgang Huste knew a flood was coming. What nobody told him, he says, was how bad it would be. The 66-year-old antiquarian bookseller in Ahrweiler said the first serious warning to evacuate or move to higher floors of buildings close to the Ahr River came through loudspeaker announcements at around 8 p.m. on July 14. Huste then heard a short emergency siren blast and church bells ring, followed by silence. "It was spooky, like in a horror film,” he said. Huste rushed to rescue his car from an underground garage. By the time he parked it on the street, the water stood knee height. Five minutes later, safely indoors, he saw his vehicle floating down the street. He would learn later that he also lost books dating back to the early 1500s and estimates his total losses at more than 200,000 euros ($235,000).