On a warm September afternoon, the River Ahr winds gently through steep terraced vineyards and wooded valleys in a prosperous corner of western Germany. It’s difficult to believe the river, now running barely a foot deep across the scoured gravel, could swell into such a destructive force.
Eight weeks ago, as a storm system tracked eastward across Europe in mid-July, the Ahr valley was hit by unprecedented rainfall. In just a few hours, the water level rose by more than nine meters, inundating entire villages. Читать дальше...