Thuringia doubles disaster protection fund to the big fire drama!

Thuringia doubles disaster protection fund to the big fire drama!

in Thuringia there is currently a reason to discuss, especially among those responsible: the state government announced that the disaster protection funds are currently increasing from currently 3 to 6 million euros. State Secretary Andreas Bausewein announced that this decision was made as a teaching from the devastating forest fires on the Saalfeld height. There, a fire broke out on July 2, which extended over about 270 hectares and has been the largest forest fire in Thuringia for at least 30 years, as MDR.

In the extinguishing work, around 5,000 emergency services were deployed, many of them in several layers. The containment of the flames was not an easy undertaking; Problems were added through wind and insufficient water supply. Thanks to the support of farmers who provided tankers, the necessary extinguishing water could be provided. On Saturday afternoon, the situation stabilized after three fire -fighting helicopters were also in use that supported the fire brigade. Bausewein pointed out that such natural events could occur more frequently in the future due to climate change.

Financial relief from the disaster protection fund

The increase in the fund is intended to help cover a large part of the costs incurred by the extinguishing work. The district of Saalfeld-Rudolstadt is expected to take over 50,000 euros, while the costs for fuels, according to estimates by the district fire inspector Christian Patz, are around 90,000 euros. Further costs, such as for wage replacement, are currently still unclear. This increase also believes that the existing amount of around 3 million euros was not sufficient to cover the expenses, such as n-tv. In view of the violent storms and disasters that Germany have hit in recent years, this step is not unexpected. The flood disaster in Ahrtal 2021 and the associated high costs have not only affected society, but also the insurance industry, which is confronted with record expenses. Analysts from Leipzig have found that the damage expenses in the entire industry have risen to over 1 billion euros, which means an increase of over 25 percent, according to the investment.

outlook on the future of fire fighting

The increase in the disaster protection fund is therefore a significant step in the right direction in order to better manage the damage caused by natural disasters. The citizens of Thuringia can therefore hope that the measures taken will better equip the region in the future to meet such challenges.