Thuringia doubles disaster protection fund after major fire drama!

Thuringia doubles disaster protection fund after major fire drama!

In Thuringia there is currently a reason for discussion, especially among those responsible: the state government announced that it would increase the disaster protection fund from the current 3 to 6 million euros. Interior State Secretary Andreas Bausewein announced that this decision was made as a lesson learned from the devastating forest fires on the Saalfelder Höhe. A fire broke out there on July 2nd, extending over around 270 hectares and is considered the largest forest fire in Thuringia in at least 30 years, as MDR reports.

Around 5,000 emergency services were deployed to extinguish the fire, many of them in several shifts. Containing the flames was no easy task; Problems were compounded by wind and an inadequate water supply. Thanks to the support of farmers who provided tank trucks, the necessary fire-fighting water was provided. The situation stabilized on Saturday afternoon after three firefighting helicopters were deployed to support the fire department. Bausewein pointed out that such natural events could occur more frequently in the future due to climate change.

Financial relief through 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 Saalfeld-Rudolstadt district is expected to cover 50,000 euros, while the cost of fuel is around 90,000 euros, according to estimates by district fire inspector Christian Patze. Further costs, such as wage replacement, are currently unclear. This increase also means that the existing amount of around 3 million euros was not enough to cover the expenses, as n-tv explains.

Given the severe storms and disasters that have hit Germany in recent years, this step is not unexpected. The flood disaster in the Ahr Valley in 2021 and the associated high costs not only affected society, but also the insurance industry, which is faced with record expenses. Analysts from Leipzig have found that claims expenses across the industry have risen to over 1 billion euros, an increase of over 25 percent, according to Das Investment.

Outlook for the future of firefighting

In view of these challenges, the Thuringian state government is planning to purchase two new police helicopters and a joint fire-fighting helicopter with the federal states of Saxony and Saxony-Anhalt. These measures are intended not only to improve the fire department's equipment, but also to ensure that resources can be better used in the future to fight forest fires more effectively. The need for such investments becomes clear when one considers the preventative and reactive measures taken in recent years.

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