November 2002 - Nr. 11
Saxon Flood Victims Still Need Support
TWIG - Two months after disastrous floods inundated the eastern German state of Saxony, local authorities are getting a clearer picture of the extent, and toll, of the damage. The surging Elbe river and its tributaries took 21 lives. It damaged or destroyed more than 25,000 residences; many Saxons still cannot return to their homes. The high water and its aftermath have affected 10,000 businesses. And two dozen cultural institutions, from tiny local museums to world-renown theaters, are still making do with stop-gap measures to stay open.
The floods washed out public and private structures, stretches of rail lines and roadways, vital sources of livelihood and revenue. The state government calculates the total loss at as much as 6 billion euros (US$5.8 billion). Federal and state funds, as well as generous private donations, are already being distributed to individuals and organizations in need. But some of the gravest financial losses are those that don’t yet appear on any balance sheet, like the droves of tourists who continue to stay away from the capital city of Dresden. Their absence is sorely felt in a city that invested massively in renovating its historic treasures over the past decade.
Director of the Saxon Palace Administration, Andrea Dietrich, is one of many who have been appealing to Saxons and tourists alike to visit cultural institutions as a way of showing solidarity with flood victims. Under the motto "Lasst eure Schlösser nicht im Stich" (Don’t leave your palaces in a lurch), officials are getting the word out that while many of Saxony’s historic structures suffered damage to their cellars, facades and inventory, for the most part they’ve been cleaned up and display rooms are again accessible "in their old beauty," she says. Seldom has a few days of site-seeing been a better way to show support for noble cause.
For general information on travel to Saxony click here.
To make a contribution to the German Flood Relief Fund, checks (no cash please) can be sent to:
German Flood Relief Fund
c/o Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany
4645 Reservoir Road, NW
Washington, DC 20007
Contributions may also be made directly to the fund at Riggs Bank, account no. 25445962.
