Chancellor Angela Merkel has defended Germany’s warning systems against widespread criticism after deadly floods last week.
Speaking during a visit to the country’s flood-hit state of North Rhine-Westphalia on Tuesday, Merkel said Germany had a “very good warning system” but pledged a thorough review of “what worked and what didn’t work” in the wake of the natural disaster.
It was Merkel’s second visit to the region since the flooding, which killed at least 165 people in Germany and 31 in neighbouring Belgium.
She said the government would discuss using cell broadcast flood warning systems in the future following criticism that people in affected areas were not sufficiently warned of the danger.
Merkel said that under Germany’s federal system, the Weather Service and the Federal Office for Population and Disaster Protection had passed on information quickly to local governments but that they were unable to evacuate people ahead of the rapidly rising waters.
