The world has 60,000 large dams. The United Nations warns that many of them are getting old. The couple got from Morse an idea of how dangerous it is to live with one of them.
Felix and Mike Morse are waiting. They’ve been doing this for a long time.
The police block the way to the couple’s village. It was closed for five days when Aftenposten met them. All residents were evacuated due to the storm that swept through Germany. In the past week it has become common for families in North Rhine-Westphalia to take what they have with them and run away on short notice.
Many have now returned to their homes. The danger is over.
But not for Felix and Mike Morse.
The couple is waiting for an answer if they can go home. If they still have one.
live under a dam
This is far from certain.
3 km down the road from their village, Schweinheim, is the Steinbachtal Dam.
A total of 148 liters of water for each. square meters above the neighborhood in 48 hours last week. It usually rains 80 liters each. square meters there throughout July.
The water masses led to a major flood in the village. In addition, the dam was in danger of bursting.
So the neighboring villages were evacuated. On Saturday, 4,500 people had to flee.
This makes Felix and Mike Morse reconsider how life is lived in Schweinheim.
It can also give an idea of the future that awaits the rest of the world.
Living in the danger zone
But what’s really important about dams?
In short, their job is to collect and redirect the water. Basically, they have one simple task: prevent water overflow.
Today there are about 60 thousand large dams in the world. It may not seem like much. But together, they regulate about 60 percent of the world’s water courses.
What happens when they stop working?
Felix and Mike Morse now have an answer.
Wash with water on the chest
Mike Morse was home alone when the flood came. Cousin was visiting while Felix Morse was away.
It started raining heavily on Tuesday. On Wednesday evening, the fire department arrived to evacuate her. The alert system they normally use to alert did not work. The flood cut off the electricity. They had to go from door to door.
When Mike Morse left the house, the water was running up to her chest. Her cousin carried her dog over her shoulder.
– Pets are not allowed. A fire department official said only people.
“If my dog and cat aren’t allowed to join in, I won’t leave,” Mike Morse replied in a critique.
Then the rescue crew changed their minds.
The dog, the cat, and the rain jacket were the only things she was allowed to take with her before wading away from the village below the embankment.
The mobile network has disappeared
The next day presented new challenges: calling her husband and family members to say she was okay.
The mobile phone network disappeared late Wednesday last week in the worst affected areas. According to Vodafone, the country’s largest mobile operator, one of the six base stations was still out of service on Monday this week.
Electricity also does not reach everywhere. In Artal, one of the worst-hit areas, it is uncertain when electricity will return, according to Westentz, the electricity distributor.
All buildings connected to the mains must be checked for water before you can turn the power back on. Firefighters, experts, and architects must all be in the field to check them thoroughly.
It will take time.
For Mike and Felix Morse, water and electricity weren’t at the top of the list of concerns on Monday.
I tried to come back
Then the couple returned to the village – five days after the eviction.
Aftenposten meets them on one of the last roads in. The police are closing the entrance and I just told them May be He may return later in the day.
But the police can’t promise anything.
First, they must be given the green light that the Steinbach Dam is no longer in danger of bursting. After that, the fire brigade will drive through the city with large vehicles. They will test whether the roads hold up or not. Inspect homes for cracks in the walls. They can warn of a breakdown.
The couple decided to wait on the road. How long is not very careful. Many of the village’s 700 residents do the same.
Several hours of waiting
One hour passes. Two hours. Several cars are driving and waiting.
As they approached three o’clock in the waiting room on the highway, the police gave them the go-ahead. Residents have to drive around the city to the other side.
There they will get help.
But this is new for the police officers waiting there. They also struggle with phone coverage, and it takes time for messages to arrive.
– Germany. Says one of the policemen sarcastically, looking at his phone in surrender.
More waiting to follow. Finally, a policeman shouted “Schweinheim!” Residents rush back to the cars.
Soon they will finally have an answer.
bureaucratic waiting room
Returning to their home after a natural disaster requires more bureaucracy than the mother couple ever imagined.
Forms must be completed. Messages must be sent by both the fire service and the military. Questions are answered.
About 100 people appear to ask permission to see their home again.
Both the Red Cross and the Defense are helping those affected.
It all takes place on a farm on the outskirts of town. About 100 people, young and old, attended. The latter is raised under the arms during limping.
Puzzles and drawing pens are put together for the little ones. All to make time pass faster – now that they’re so close, but still so far away.
The distractions are mostly untouched. Most people talk to neighbors. They deal with nervousness differently. Some laugh. Others cry.
What everyone has in common is that they want answers. right Now. Finally, a firefighter shouted that the coast was ready.
flat with the ground
The day before Aftenposten arrives in Schweinheim, we hear rumors that the village has been razed to the ground.
It’s not that bad. But the flood was clearly not gracious.
Several roads were destroyed in Schweinheim.
Cars crashed under huge trees that were torn by water after the roots.
Barriers are placed against the most affected places. There are houses that have been flattened.
You can walk in safe places. Cars weighing several tons crashed into the streets. The streets have disappeared.
To reach them, residents must wet their feet and be accompanied by two firefighters.
– Mr. and Mrs., one of them asks when the spouses are leaving.
– Yes. Street No. 1, Felix answers cheerfully.
Almost as if they were going to take a taxi home after traveling. It’s not as if they should be accompanied by rescue workers to go to their homes to assess one last time whether or not the home is in danger of collapsing.
everything is OK?
Felix and Mike Morse walk hand in hand through the rubble.
Although the couple knew the city was hit hard, the extent shocked them.
Many city dwellers walk towards their homes.
Some paused at the sight of their devastated hometown.
The couple navigate car wrecks, fallen trees, and destroyed buildings.
The couple finally reached their home, which they had taken over from Felix’s parents. It is located at the end of the city.
Felix enters first with a firefighter. Mike waits nervously outside. Minutes before he yells:
– Mike, come and hit.
– Why are you asking.
– Because everything is fine, he answers, and it works.
Perhaps “all good” is an exaggeration.
Reconstruction begins
Her car is broken. Water flowed up to the level of the steering wheel.
The color of the green grass in the garden is brown with mud. Inside the house, things are even worse.
The house is there – perfectly intact – fortunately.
The climbing plant that Felix’s parents planted when they bought the house 32 years ago was torn down from the wall.
A firefighter studying the flood at the home of Felix and Mike.
The flood waters are still half a meter high in the basement.
At worst, he reached the first floor.
But the couple has at least a home.
But at least they have a home. They cling to each other in the hallway.
Mike sniffs Felix’s shoulder. He retreats with bright red eyes.
– Now the work can begin, he declares.
The couple tries to turn on the unit to pump water. Easier said than done. The mood becomes more and more tense because the water pump is not working.
I am a social worker, not a technician. If you give me a child who wants to commit suicide, I know how to help. I have no idea what to do here, Felix sighs.
But even when the water is drained from the cellar, the biggest function remains.
Felix bypassed both the barricades and the police and was allowed to pick up the car. Now the water will be pumped from the basement.
Felix fills up with fuel and tries to start the unit.
Easier said than done. The unit is on, but the water pump is not receiving power.
The neighbor comes and tries another way to start the process.
Needs better protection
Researchers said severe weather and flooding could be much more in the coming years.
It can be a challenge for people who live under old dams. And many of us will do so by 2050, Notified the United Nations In a report in January.
The dams they warn of were built in the last century. Most of the largest in the world are spread in 25 countries.
Among them is Norway.
In theory, dams can last 100 years. But when it was built in the last century, the architects didn’t take into account climate change and extreme weather. Therefore, they are more prone to explosion or flooding.
The report states that governments around the world must take action to secure them.
Schweinheim is 3-4 km from Steinbach Dam.
It was not made with climate change and extreme weather in mind. It can have serious consequences for those who live nearby.
It could happen again
Steinbach Dam was completed in 1934. It is 23 meters high and thus one of the dams that the United Nations warned about in January.
Now Felix Morse will protect the house in the event of a new flood.
The house of Felix and Meike Mors is located on the outskirts of Schweinheim, and the neighbors own a horse farm.
– I’m not afraid that the dam will burst. It is not very high. Our house is on the outskirts of the village and will likely not be flooded unless it explodes, he says while they are still waiting for the green light from the police.
– But we should better secure the house. We cannot rule out that this will happen again.
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