The clean-up work after tornadoes in three NRW cities will take even longer. In Paderborn, some of those affected are staying in the hotel for the time being. The country is examining aid.
Paderborn – After the tornadoes with severe damage in the east of North Rhine-Westphalia, the clean-up and repair work continues. Already on Saturday, many roofers were in action in Paderborn, which was particularly affected, to repair badly damaged houses.
According to an initial assessment, well over 100 buildings have suffered storm damage, and companies in the high double-digit range are struggling with enormous damage, the city of Paderborn said.
Other states are also affected
According to the German Weather Service (DWD), tornadoes occurred in Paderborn, Lippstadt and Lütmarsen, a district of the East Westphalian town of Höxter, in the most populous federal state. There were also hurricane-like gusts in other parts of Germany. In Bavaria, 14 people, including several children, were injured when a wooden hut collapsed in Spalt near the Großer Brombachsee on Friday. A 37-year-old was taken to a clinic with serious injuries, and a child was also flown to the hospital by helicopter.
In Leipzig, the rock band Rammstein interrupted their open-air concert with 40,000 spectators. After 15 minutes, the fans were allowed back inside – and continued to watch the show, sometimes soaking wet.
Wüst inspects damage
North Rhine-Westphalia’s Prime Minister Hendrik Wüst (CDU) thanked the emergency services and helpers during a site visit and made it clear that the enormous damage cannot be repaired overnight. “Thank you very, very much for everything that has already been done here and that will certainly still be work to do in the coming days and weeks.”
Wüst also announced that the state government would examine aid in the next few days. “A lot will be insured here. And where there is a need, we will examine exactly how we can help. We also saw damage to the public infrastructure,” explained the head of government. It must now first be precisely assessed where damage is not covered – presumably also in the public infrastructure in the municipalities, he explained.
Paderborn’s Mayor Michael Dreier (CDU) reported on trees and traffic lights that had been snapped over like matches. Crash barriers flew through the air like scraps of paper. Flying roof tiles would have “eaten” the facades of neighboring houses. Many panes were also broken. Apartments are initially uninhabitable, businesses destroyed. dpa
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