The flooded areas in western Germany are still badly devastated. In the FOCUS Online helper ticker, you can find out where support or donations are particularly needed right now. We put people who want to help in touch with those who desperately need our help now.
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Children in the flood area can let off steam in a new indoor playground
Tuesday, 1. February, 20.3 p.m: More than half a year after the devastating floods in western Germany, children in the Ahr Valley once again have a place where they can meet their peers and let off steam. By symbolically cutting a ribbon, the so-called KinderpAHRadies in Ahrweiler opened on 1. February officially opens its doors.
In addition to the initiators of the donation shuttle, the mayor of Bad Neuenahr-Ahrweiler, Guido Orthen, and the deputy mayor of Ahrweiler, Ferdinand Heuwagen, also took part in the opening ceremony. The children of a daycare group were the first to test out the 800-square-meter play paradise.
The indoor playground includes a pirate ship, a bouncy castle, a slide, a trampoline and a climbing castle, among other things. Due to the current Corona situation, an online ticket had to be booked before visiting the playground, the deputy chairman of the donation shuttle, Dirk Gemein, explained to FOCUS Online. After 1-2 hours the children and their parents would have to leave the place again.
The entry is completely free for everyone. But this is especially true for those affected by the floods, Gemein added. He would be happy if those who are not so affected by the flood would leave a small donation after their visit. Gemein says this is important for the project to operate in the long term. But thanks to big donors, funding is completely secured for the first year, he says.
"We are nicely located in the middle of the Ahr valley, so that it is super accessible for everyone", Gemein says about the playground, which has been the biggest project of the donation shuttle so far. Thanks to the great willingness to donate, they are now ready to continue to support many "crazy" projects Implement ideas. "Quitting is not an option for us at all", Gemein says.
The Donation Shuttle initiative was founded in the wake of the flood disaster. The founders themselves live in the Ahr Valley and know where help is needed. The financial aid will be used for reconstruction projects, but also for social projects.
You also want to donate and thus make a contribution so that the Ahr region can be rebuilt? Then click on the link a little further down. At the moment, for example, you can support a project for the renaturation of the Ahr valley.
Fundraiser: Everyone can help!
Give hope to those affected in the flooded areas. The money goes directly to the people concerned.
FOCUS Online, CHIP, BUNTE.de, TVSpielfilm and the other brands of BurdaForward support local aid projects together with the donation shuttle.
With our reporters we accompany the different projects and relief actions. 100% of your donation goes to the Spenden-Shuttle and is distributed evenly among the social projects.
New playground can open thanks to donations
Tuesday, 1. February, 09.45 a.m: The flood disaster of July 2021 not only destroyed living space, but also many social meeting spaces. The children in the Ahr valley are the ones who suffer the most, because a large part of the sports and play areas, which were often located directly on the Ahr, fell victim to the floods.
But there is a ray of hope. A donation project supported by FOCUS Online will make it possible to build a brand-new indoor playground at the 1. Open its doors in February. Now the children have a protected space to romp and play on 800 square meters again. Parents were also taken into consideration. A children’s cafe will be available for them to exchange ideas and have a rest.
"It’s very important that the children in the Ahr Valley once again have a place where they can meet with friends, play, romp – and simply unwind", Anna from the donation shuttle tells FOCUS Online, while she and her son Carlo are already testing out the covered playground before the opening. All the last months there was nothing like that for the children, because the flood took everything with it, Anna continues.
The so-called KinderpAHRadies in Ahrweiler was built by the Donation Shuttle initiative. Basis for the new meeting place for large and small was the donation of 25.645 Euros. Through further cooperations and large donations, the operation and free admission for the children is secured for the entire first year.
The Spenden-Shuttle initiative was founded in the wake of the flood disaster. The founders live in the Ahr valley and know where help is needed. The financial aid flows into projects for reconstruction, but also into social projects.
They also want to donate and thus make a contribution so that the Ahr region can be rebuilt? Then click on the link a little further down. Currently, you can support, for example, a project for the renaturation of the Ahr valley.
Donation campaign: Everyone can help!
Give hope to those affected in the flooded areas. The money goes directly to the people affected.
FOCUS Online, CHIP, BUNTE.de, TVSpielfilm and the other BurdaForward brands support local aid projects together with the donation shuttle.
With our reporters we accompany the different projects and relief actions. 100 percent of your donation goes to the donation shuttle and is distributed evenly among the social projects.
This is how you can support the flood region financially
Wednesday, 26. January, 14.4 p.m: FOCUS Online’s fundraising campaign in conjunction with the donation shuttle has already raised almost 60,000 euros.000 euros will be collected. More than 450 readers of FOCUS Online have already participated. The initiative Spenden-Shuttle was founded in the course of the flood disaster. The founders live themselves in the Ahrtal and know, where need of assistance is.
The money will be used for various reconstruction projects: Garden play equipment for children, support for the people of Marienthal who are moving forward with a CO2-neutral heating project, planting trees and shrubs, and trauma recovery projects for children, among other things. In addition, families are directly financially supported. You too can help and donate.
Fundraising campaign: everyone can help!
Give hope to those affected in the flooded areas. The money goes directly to the people affected.
FOCUS Online, CHIP, BUNTE.de, TVSpielfilm and the other BurdaForward brands are supporting local aid projects together with the donation shuttle.
With our reporters we accompany the different projects and relief actions. 100 percent of your donation goes to the donation shuttle and is distributed evenly among the social projects.
"Speechless": Annette Frier organizes "Festival of Good Humor" for flood victims
Friday, 14. January, 5:20 pm: Actress and comedian Annette Frier wants to cheer up people in the flooded areas with a series of cultural events. The project is called "#biseswiederhellwird" and was initiated by the Cologne actress, as the city of Schleiden in the Eifel region announced.
"The flood disaster has left me speechless", Frier told dpa. That’s why, she says, she wants to volunteer with colleagues and do what she does best: entertain.
On Instagram, the actress promised a "small festival of good humor". For "known omicron reasons The first step, however, would have to be a purely digital event. Several media had reported.
Kick-off is scheduled for Friday evening (14. January, 6 p.m.) – exactly six months after the floods in North Rhine-Westphalia and Rhineland-Palatinate. In a historic cinema hall from the 1950s in Schleiden, Frier welcomes, among others, actress and comedian Corudla Stratmann (58) and forester and best-selling author Peter Wohlleben (58).
A mix of several hours from music, Comedy, readings and discussions is planned. The event will be broadcast live on Frier’s Instagram channel. The artists appear without fee. Further dates are planned for March and May.
Helper shuttle in the Ahr flood area pauses until 1. March
Tuesday, 11. January 2022, 11.35 a.m: After about 100.000 transported volunteers, the shuttle service in the flood-damaged Ahr Valley takes a winter break until probably 1. March.
In the cold season and the fourth Corona wave, the number of helping hands has decreased, says the initiator of the shuttle service, Marc Ulrich, the Deutsche Presse-Agentur. Also many flood victims wanted to come first of all to the rest.
"It is important however that only the bus transfer breaks ", adds Ulrich. Anyone who needs help can still get it via the helfer-shuttle website.de "you can continue to request helpers, come by, borrow machines et cetera". In addition, so-called scouts are still on the road in the flood-damaged villages to see where help is needed.
"Christmas angels" fulfill wishes of 450 flood children
Wednesday, 22. December 2021, 11.45 a.m: Heartwarming children’s eyes light up the Christmas angels from "Fortuna hilft e.V." as they distribute the gifts. With a "wishing tree the association prepared a special Christmas joy for the smallest ones in the flood area. Each child was allowed to wish for something worth up to 30 euros.
Several elementary schools and daycare centers took part in the campaign. "A total of 450 wish lists were collected, which this time did not all end up at the North Pole, but in Bad Homburg", initiator Klaudia Skodnik is pleased.
All desire notes had been distributed in the twinkling of an eye by many Christmas angels within fewer hours. "Every day I am surrounded by an abundance of lovingly wrapped Christmas presents", says Skodnik. "This is so beautiful, I can not put it into words."
She is happy about the many happy faces when distributing the Christmas presents, but would also like to draw attention to other projects for children. "We are still busy collecting for the project ‘Kinder(T)raum’ – the circus wagon for the affected children in the Ahr valley", she tells.
Because in addition to all the destruction in the affected villages, the children would like to have a place to dream. That’s why a circus wagon in the Ahr Valley is intended to offer the little ones a feeling of security and a nice environment.
How you can support the work of the association, you can find out here. FOCUS Online also supports social projects in the flood area together with the donation shuttle. Find more info here:
Everyone can help!
Give the gift of Christmas joy to those affected in the flooded areas. The money goes directly to the affected people.
"Christmas will be different": Advent campaign by FOCUS Online brings hope to the Ahr Valley
Monday, 20.12., 13.07 o’clock: There are only a few days left until Christmas. Many people from flood-affected areas will spend Christmas Eve and the holidays away from home. Elke, Hiltrud, Miriam and Marieanne from Marienthal gather at the campsite in Marienthal just a few days before Christmas. "It will be different," explains 39-year-old Miriam, "I’ll celebrate with my family as usual, but not here."
She herself currently lives in an apartment in Bonn, together with her husband and 8-year-old son. Together with her parents they stayed on the roof of their house for hours during the floods.
Everyone can help!
Give Christmas joy to those affected in the flooded areas. The money goes directly to the people affected.
"Otherwise there was actually a lot going on here at Christmas. On the 24th. a chapel played here in the evening," says Hiltrud, who stayed with her sister after the devastating flood. Their houses and apartments are now being rebuilt one by one. In the 100-inhabitant village however nearly all do not have a functioning heating system. Currently, the people who are still able to live in the houses are using temporary solutions such as electric heaters. Because together they want to use an innovative technology: Village heat. For this purpose, a combined heat and power plant is being built that will supply more than 40 households in Marienthal with heat. Rolf Schmitt’s apartment was badly damaged by the flood; he currently lives in a container with his wife. He is now working to ensure that the village takes a pioneering role. "If it all works out, we will be a Co2-free heating location."
At the moment, Schmitt is on leave from his job with the Federal Police and is handling the bureaucratic tasks for the village warmth and informing the residents. For the people of Marienthal, however, there are also costs to come first. "The state takes over a share," says Schmitt, "but not everything."The donation shuttle, an aid initiative in the Ahr valley, supports all households in Marienthal on a pro rata basis in financing the necessary house connection costs.
Together with FOCUS Online and the other BurdaForward brands, the donation shuttle collects funds for the Advent campaign. You too can support the donation shuttle and thus the project Dorarme in Marienthal.
Everyone can help!
Give the gift of Christmas joy to those affected in the flooded areas. The money goes directly to the people concerned.
The plan is for people to return to their homes for the next heating season. "Next year Christmas will be better for us", hopes Marieanne.
Reader gives up birthday present to help people in Ahr Valley
Friday, 5. December, 10.03 a.m: Over 28.000 euros have already been collected during the Advent campaign for the Ahr valley. Together with the helpers’ initiative Spenden-Shuttle, FOCUS Online and the other BurdaForward brands launched the campaign at the beginning of December. More than 310 people have already donated and left many hopeful messages for the flood victims.
Anyone can help!
Give the gift of Christmas joy to those affected in the flooded areas. The money will go directly to those affected.
"Had a birthday 4 days ago. I don’t want to buy anything, but I’d like to donate something…", writes a reader who donated 30 euros.
"Cheer up! There is always a way. A Christmas as good as possible! Best regards," writes Carmen Markowski in addition to her donation transfer.
You can also help with a donation and support the Ahr Valley. With their broad network and direct contact to the people on the ground, the volunteers of Spenden-Shuttle bring help to where the need is greatest:
"We know the needs and worries and know where help is most needed. The strong exchange with those affected on site ensures that the donations really get to where they are supposed to go: to the people.", according to the initiators around the local entrepreneurs Thomas Putz, Marc Ulrich and Michael Loffler.
Many of those affected are facing a test of endurance. Because: There is a lack of craftsmen. In addition it comes that make houses on the tipping point stand, as Gerd Gaspar says, which comes from the strongly affected Altenahr. Because of the oil contamination of the water, many residents of the Ahr valley would still not know whether they would have to demolish or not.
For the people in the Ahr valley and in the flooded areas in the Eifel it will probably be a Christmas with mixed feelings. Some spend Christmas Eve away from home with other family members, others celebrate in containers or tiny houses. "I already miss my apartment a lot," explains Miriam Sinnen . The 39-year-old is currently housed in an apartment 30 kilometers away in Bonn. She actually lives in the 100-person village of Marienthal. "It will probably be very quiet at Christmas," she says.
Donation campaign: Everyone can help!
Give hope to those affected in the flooded areas. The money goes directly to those affected.
FOCUS Online, CHIP, BUNTE.de, TVSpielfilm and the other BurdaForward brands support local aid projects together with the donation shuttle.
With our reporters we accompany the different projects and relief actions. 100 percent of your donation will go to the donation shuttle and will be distributed evenly among the social projects.
Everyone can help now! Advent campaign by Spenden-Shuttle and FOCUS Online brings hope to the Ahr Valley
Monday, 6. December, 14.1 p.m: FOCUS Online, CHIP, BUNTE.de, TVSpielfilm and the other BurdaForward brands join forces with the donation shuttle to support local aid projects to bring joy to those affected in the run-up to Christmas.
"We know the hardships and worries and know where help is most needed. Through the strong exchange with the affected people on the spot, it can be ensured that the donations really get where they are supposed to go: to the people", according to the initiators around the local entrepreneurs Thomas Putz, Marc Ulrich and Michael Loffler.
Everyone can help!
Give Christmas joy to those affected in the flooded areas. The money goes directly to the affected people.
Our flood reporters accompany the various projects and relief efforts. 100 percent of your donation goes to the donation shuttle and is distributed evenly among the social projects.
We continue to report from an office in Ahrweiler on the situation in the disaster area. We have decided to stay on site while other media have left. We make sure that the people in the flooded region are not forgotten and that Germany learns what help is needed.
Even with a small donation, you can contribute to the great task of reconstruction.
70 children from flooded areas receive winter shoes: "Children’s hearts made to glow"
Sunday, 14. November, 13.30 p.m: The initiative Fortuna hilft e.V. equipped 70 children with warm winter shoes, hats and gloves after an appeal for donations. "The delivery made children’s hearts glow", reports the first chairwoman Klaudia Skodnik. Together with other helpers she could distribute the donations. Also the "Paritatische Gesamtverband and "Aktion Deutschland Hilft" participated in the campaign. "It was almost unbearable to see in which summer shoes the children had to walk around so far", tells Skodnik.
If more parents need winter shoes for their children, they can contact us at [email protected] to get in touch.
The association takes care of people and animals in the flooded areas with further campaigns. More information about the association as well as the donation account can be found here.
"Heat for the Ahr Valley" – Hilfsverein AHRche e.V. installs free heat pumps for heating
Monday, 08. November, 16.19 o’clock: The winter approaches and still it is missing in innumerable dwellings at the necessary heat supply. Some damaged heaters could not yet be repaired or replaced. Also, due to the current shortage of craftsmen and materials, it may happen that – despite the commissioning of the gas lines – not every house can also be heated with gas.
But with the private campaign "Heat for the Ahr Valley" offers the Hilfsverein AHRche e.V. Support for those affected at. "We continue to have more than 500 air-to-air heat pumps, known as split air conditioners, available to give away for free. In addition, we provide professional installation of these heat pumps – this service is also free of charge for the customer," says Ulf Berens, master air conditioning engineer and co-initiator of the initiative. Interested parties can register their need for a heat pump on the homepage.
AHRche financed with the help of many manufacturers, wholesalers as well as donations the action and with the numerous voluntarily working air conditioning specialized enterprises already more than 500 heat pumps with the concerning in the flood area installed. Numerous further devices wait for a buyer. These units can heat a room of up to 50 square meters so that it is well habitable in winter.
Affected people can still sign up for heat pumps
But the air-to-air heat pump has even more advantages: "With one kilowatt of electricity, the air-to-air heat pump generates a heating output of around 3.5 kilowatts of heat. That’s more than three times as much as conventional emergency solutions. Or the other way around: less than one third of the electricity is needed. This saves both energy and costs," says Torsten Kurtz of the Rhineland-Palatinate energy agency.
Also the radio station RPR1 supports with a donation at a value of half a million euro the warmth project of the association AHRche e.V. in Bad Neuenahr-Ahrweiler. The cost of the units and their installation is 1 per unit.250 euros. Alone 400 households are thus heated by the donation of RPR Hilft e.V. supplied with heat. Radio station press officer Markus Schuessler points out that those affected can still register with the campaign for the installation of heat pumps.
Helper writes poems about the flood – proceeds go to those affected
Sunday, 07. November, 14.5 p.m: "With my poems I want to give the people in the flood area a chance to come to terms with what happened. Every reader feels the emotions, everyone is allowed to cry, everyone mourns with those affected. You are not alone."Jacqueline Heinemanns comes from the Ahr valley and has been helping in her flood-damaged home since the first week.
"The sight in Ahrweiler was terrifying, the destruction immense. However, there is one thing I will never forget for the rest of my life: The despair of those affected. People came to the streets begging for help, some had not eaten for days after the disaster. That’s when I started cooking soup and distributing it," the helper tells FOCUS Online in an interview.
Every weekend, Jacqueline now supports the reconstruction efforts in the Ahr Valley with the helper shuttle and has already experienced some suffering, but also solidarity. "It helped me to talk about it with the other helpers in the evening. At some point, I wrote down what I had experienced in the form of poems in order to process it all," explains Heinemanns, who has since written a book from the collected poems.
An excerpt
"The helper heart" – Jacqueline Heinemanns
No matter how long it takes,
we are there, even when you are in mourning.
To what was beautiful that lay behind you,
destroyed in only one day.
We will give you strength,
steer you back to a new beginning.
support you in all things,
so that we end up singing together.
"The book is by and for those affected by the flood disaster. They opened up to me and shared their intense and emotional stories. Both the solidarity of the helpers and the suffering of those affected have found their way into my book of poems," says Heinemann’s.
You can buy Jacqueline Heinemann’s book of poems for twenty euros. The proceeds will benefit those affected in the Ahr Valley. Orders under: [email protected].
You need help? Or have an offer of help?
FOCUS Online is on site in the Ahr Valley – to be there, to report and to help. If you need help or have an offer of help, contact our flood office. We are available for you and want to help to solve the problems in the region together.
How to reach our flood reporters
[email protected]
or by phone: 02641 30 49 444
You want to help in the area? Then off to the helper city!
Numerous helpers are needed in the flood area. In the Ahr Valley, volunteers are placed on site via the helper shuttle – regardless of whether they are craftsmen or laymen. Everyone can lend a hand.
- Here you can learn more about the Helfer-City.
- Tell us if you want to get on the road to help on site
You want to donate?
Thousands of people in the west of Germany are still struggling with the consequences of the flood disaster. FOCUS Online shows how they can help those affected now.
Platform for the flood region: Helping and networking
We have set up a platform where we exchange ideas and network.