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Damage and debris from flooding near the Ahr River, in Bad Neuenahr, Germany (dpa/AP)

Death toll from floods in Germany hits 165 as officials defend preparation

The death toll rose as emergency services continued to comb through decimated towns in search of dozens of people still missing.

GERMAN OFFICIALS HAVE defended their preparations for flooding in the face of the raging torrents that caught many people by surprise and left over 165 people dead in the country – but conceded that they will need to learn lessons from the disaster.

Efforts to find more victims and clean up the mess left behind by the floods across western Germany, eastern Belgium and the Netherlands continued today as floodwaters receded.

The downpours that led to usually small rivers swelling at vast speed in the middle of last week had been forecast, but warnings of potentially catastrophic damage did not appear to have found their way to many people on the ground.

The death toll in Germany rose to 165 today as emergency services continued to comb through decimated towns in search of dozens of people still missing.

At least 31 people have also died in Belgium.

Economy minister Peter Altmaier told the Bild newspaper: “As soon as we have provided the immediate aid that stands at the forefront now, we will have to look at whether there were things that didn’t go well, whether there were things that went wrong, and then they have to be corrected.

That isn’t about finger-pointing – it’s about improvements for the future.

The head of Germany’s civil protection agency said that the country’s weather service had “forecast relatively well” and that the country was well-prepared for flooding on its major rivers.

embedded261028121 The flooded parking of the VD8 camping is pictured in Cheseaux-Noreaz near Yverdon-les-Bains on the eastern shore of Lake Neuchatel, Switzerland (Keystone/AP)

But, Armin Schuster told ZDF television, “half an hour before, it is often not possible to say what place will be hit with what quantity” of water.

He said that his agency had sent 150 warning notices out via apps and media.

Schuster added that he could not yet say where sirens sounded and where they did not, and pledged to investigate.

Officials in the worst-affected German state, Rhineland-Palatinate, said they were well-prepared for flooding and municipalities had been alerted and acted.

But the state’s interior minister, Roger Lewentz, said after visiting the hard-hit village of Schuld with Chancellor Angela Merkel on Sunday that “we of course had the problem that the technical infrastructure — electricity and so on — was destroyed in one go”.

Local authorities “tried very quickly to react,” he said.

“But this was an explosion of the water in moments. … You can have the very best preparations and warning situations (but) if warning equipment is destroyed and carried away with buildings, then that is a very difficult situation.”

With reporting from AFP

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    Mute Rommel Burke
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    May 15th 2012, 3:05 PM

    Media mogul shocked by media bias! You couldn’t make it up. Well you could but…..I’m past caring.

    101
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    Mute Fagan's
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    May 15th 2012, 2:58 PM

    Dennis you have certainly given them enough material to use against you.

    That said, it has to be one of the lowest grade newspapers I have ever read, full of made up anon. quotes, character assassination and lies.

    (A household journalist in the Sunday Independent confirmed that “Yeah, we make up the quotes, Aengus gave us 50p a word to do it, he once beat a journalist with his own shoe, after he reported the news accurately”).

    85
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    Mute jason bourne
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    May 15th 2012, 3:33 PM

    Is it me or does denis o Brien look incredibly like don conroy in that photo?

    73
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    Mute Cal Mooney
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    May 15th 2012, 4:14 PM

    I dont mean to give the baul Denis a compliment… but he looks more like Rutger Hauer in this photo..
    http://www.avclub.com/articles/rutger-hauer,55531/

    3
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    Mute Begrudgy
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    May 15th 2012, 2:55 PM

    How much has o’brien lost again in his attempted takeover of Indepentant news and media with share price collapse. Definately in the hundreds of millions. Was this revenge and power hungry mission really worth that much ? Guess you just have to ask his ego.

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    Mute HARRY MARKOPOLOS
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    May 15th 2012, 7:01 PM

    Denis will just have to buy out the ”Sindo” and sack Mr Morrissey just like he did with Dunphy and Smyth.

    23
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    Mute Gay Pea McManus
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    May 16th 2012, 3:40 PM

    Could have been worse, at least they didn’t say he had a micropenis or something, that would have have had something to really whinge about, while half the country are on the breadline.

    4
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    Mute Dave
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    May 15th 2012, 3:32 PM

    The Independent is no better than a red top. The whole paper is agenda driven, its not just directed at DOB.

    64
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    Mute Martin Mac
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    May 15th 2012, 4:25 PM

    Whatever about your man O’Brien….he is right about one thing the SINDO “NEWSPAPER” is one the worst & most vested interested driven paper you are EVER likely to read. FACT. I would not use that paper for my cats litter tray its that vile.

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    Mute Kevin O'Sullivan
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    May 15th 2012, 3:20 PM

    A lot of people say that about the Sindo tbh.

    40
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    Mute Charles Fitzgerald
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    May 15th 2012, 5:46 PM

    Man goes from little rich kid with no aptitude for running a business to a billionaire communications mogul by getting a mobile telephony under dubious circumstances. He ‘jokes’ about giving a government minister 100k to his chief executive and claims he should have been able to deduce from the tone of his voice that he was ‘taking the piss’. He the mismanages ESAT for as long as he needs to hold the license, moves to Portugal and flogs the company to O2 for around a 600m profit and claims non residency to avoid CGT. He tells Pat Kenny he took out multiple mortgages on his house to pay for the license. The tribunal finds him a non credible witness and he claims victimization. If only CAB had a corruption wing.

    39
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    Mute Diarmuid Danger Lenihan
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    May 15th 2012, 3:13 PM

    Tis a hard old life for Denis. Hello detective ford !

    28
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    Mute limofax
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    May 15th 2012, 6:17 PM

    Wasn’t he found to be corrupt?
    That said the paper is a piece of s**t anyway.

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    Mute Kieran Clarke
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    May 15th 2012, 6:41 PM

    There is definitely a market for a good sunday newspaper in Ireland, the tribune and independent are rubbish, the times is little more than the English times with about 2 extra articles and while it is very good the sunday business post isn’t exactly for everyone.

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    Mute Ann Toebes
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    May 15th 2012, 11:50 PM

    There hasn’t been a Tribune for about a year now – safe to say you are not missing it!!

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    Mute Kieran Clarke
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    May 16th 2012, 12:44 AM

    Haha I actually lived abroad for most of the year hadn’t realised cheers lol

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    Mute Susie Chester
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    May 15th 2012, 3:43 PM

    He never said any of it was lies tho !

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    Mute Frank Faldo
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    May 15th 2012, 4:08 PM

    I think hes an arogant man but he must remember money is not happiness.

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    Mute Barry McSweeney
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    May 15th 2012, 5:37 PM

    When tax exiles fall out . . . .

    16
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    Mute Mick Conway
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    May 16th 2012, 1:14 AM

    the man is a hero. a through example of an irish man who has gone on to be a success. even if he did some dodgy dealings its how ireland worked at the time. His methods where called into question because he was high profile. You cannot say Denis doesnt have a business brain just look at what he has done since he made a few million with esat. digifone is a huge success one of the biggest telecoms companies ever and no matter where he is a resident now. would you not do the same to protect your income?

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    Mute Frank2521
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    May 15th 2012, 11:49 PM

    O Brien owns all the media as no press will print anything about him as they are afraid of his legal team. My comments were blocked too.

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    Mute Adam Magari
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    May 15th 2012, 11:00 PM

    O’Brien should look on the bright side. The Sunday Independent might have won a subediting contract if the recent tribunal report completion had been put out to tender.

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    Mute Fiachra Maolmordha Ó Raghallaigh
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    May 16th 2012, 12:16 AM

    He handed them the gun (the tribunal), and gave them a worthy motive to shoot them (potential editorial interference).

    Although the Indo is a rag, I doubt O’Brien cares much for journalistic quality – he just wants to stop them from attacking him.

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    Mute Mick Conway
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    May 16th 2012, 1:26 AM

    digicel even*

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