Government Expenditure Exceeds 60 Million Euros Due to Flood Damages - Government spends over €60 million on repairing flood damage
Article:
A year after the catastrophic floods that hit Southern Germany in 2024, the Bavarian state government has doled out more than €60 million to those affected. The unprecedented flooding in June 2024 prompted the government to enact an immediate aid program, potentially worth €200 million, to compensate uninsured damages suffered by private individuals, businesses, and farmers.
As of now, over 14,200 applications for immediate aid from private households have been submitted, with over €36.4 million paid out for damaged household goods or buildings. In addition, over €2.1 million has been granted due to more than 500 hardship fund applications.
The agricultural sector was heavily affected by the floods. Approximately 1,500 applications for the dedicated aid program have been received, with €21.9 million already paid to 1,353 businesses.
For companies and freelancers, another aid program is available. To date, 156 applications have been processed, with €1.5 million paid out, while 132 applications are still under review.
Moving forward, the Free State aims to invest heavily in flood protection measures. Since 2001, approximately €4 billion has been invested in flood defenses, with further investments in the billions planned until 2030. This funding has been utilized to build more than 190 kilometers of dikes, 70 kilometers of flood protection walls, and to renovate over 340 kilometers of dams.
The investment in flood protection also includes nature-friendly projects like the restoration of wild streams and the construction of flood retention basins. Environmentalists urge the authorities to rely less on controversial polders, which are flooded intentionally during high water danger, and instead focus on recreating classic floodplains, which were often destroyed during past river engineering.
While the search results do not mention specific flood protection investment programs launched following the 2024 floods, previous flood disasters in Europe have led to similar investments in flood defenses. The recurring theme in these efforts is the necessity of robust urban flood defenses and infrastructure upgrades. The aging public infrastructure in German cities, particularly water supply networks and bridges, underlines the need for modernization to better withstand extreme weather events.
- The Bavarian state government, in light of the environmental-science implications of the catastrophic floods, is considering revising the community policy to incorporate more comprehensive environmental protection measures, especially in flood-prone areas.
- As part of the long-term financial strategy, the state government aims to incorporate employment policies that support jobs in science and environmental-science sectors, recognizing the importance of these fields in addressing climate change and environmental disasters.
