Five years ago, a devastating flood disaster struck the Ahr Valley and other regions of Germany. Numerous people lost their lives, many more lost their livelihoods. On the fifth anniversary, several television channels are commemorating the events with special broadcasts on television and online. The programs can be seen on linear programming and in the public broadcasting media libraries.
"Tagesthemen" broadcasts from the Ahr Valley
On July 13, starting at 9:55 p.m., "tagesthemen" will not be broadcasting from the studio as usual, but live from Altenahr in the Ahr Valley. Moderator Ingo Zamperoni (52) will host the program. Marcus Bornheim, First Editor-in-Chief of ARD-aktuell, explains in a press release: "The broadcast from Altenahr underscores how important it is to take another look and learn what has become of those affected and the region after such a disaster."
In the program, Zamperoni looks back at the flood disaster and, according to the announcement, goes searching for traces in Altenahr himself. A report from Erftstadt and Bad Münstereifel is also planned. The focus is also on the question of how far reconstruction has progressed in the affected regions in North Rhine-Westphalia and Rhineland-Palatinate. After the broadcast, the program will be available in the ARD media library and on "tagesschau.de".
"Allein in der Flut - Mein Vater und die tödliche Nacht im Ahrtal"
Following the special edition of "tagesthemen", the First channel will show "Allein in der Flut - Mein Vater und die tödliche Nacht im Ahrtal" at 10:30 p.m. In it, author Susanne Jäger tells the story of her then 90-year-old father, whom she lost in the flood, as well as other people from the street where her parents lived. To this day, the question remains why the residents were not warned early enough. The film is already available in the ARD media library.
Additional Programs in the Media Libraries
In addition, several other productions dealing with the disaster in the Ahr Valley can be found in the ARD media library. Among them is the documentary "Fünf Jahre nach der Ahrtal-Flut: Die Nacht, die blieb...", which belongs to the "SWR Story" series and was already shown on SWR in June. Here too, the stories of those affected are told.
ZDF shows online, among other things, the "Terra X History" episode "Ein Tag im Juli - Ahrtalflut 2021". The documentary reconstructs the events of July 14 and 15, 2021 from the perspective of those affected and focuses on their personal fates and their experiences during the flood.
