The floodwaters, which inundated wide areas of southern and eastern Germany, have retreated. What's left is mud, dirt and mountains of waste. Now the reconstruction starts: whole villages need to be drained, and in many places the electricity is still out.
To support those affected, the ALTANA Group in cooperation with Germany's relief coalition Aktion Deutschland Hilft made an early appeal to its employees to donate money. The company doubled the amount raised and also made a one-off emergency contribution. Around 30,000 euro was raised in total which the company and staff have donated to the flood victims. "We want to play our part in helping in a rapid and non-bureaucratic way," CEO of ALTANA AG, Dr. Matthias L. Wolfgruber, explains.
At the end of May and the start of June, rainfall was heavy in parts of Germany. The Danube and River Elbe burst their banks, dikes broke, and several villages had to be evacuated. Now that the floodwater has receded, the immense scale of the damage is clear. Experts estimate that public funds will not cover the financial need. "Thanks to the solidarity shown by our staff, we can help to drive reconstruction along quickly," Wolfgruber adds.