Lower Thirds: 

0:03	Report by  Athina Bohner
0:40	Armin von Ameln | Local council member
0:57	Armin von Ameln | Local council member
1:14	Armin von Ameln | Local council member
1:36	Katharina Scharping | Head of Trauma Help Center Ahr Valley
2:13	Katrin Lohe | Ahr Valley resident
2:33	Athina Bohner | DW Reporter
2:54	Fritz Vennemann | Memorial architect
3:04	Jochen Diedenhofen | Memorial artist
3:35	 Sascha Schmidt-Horster | Chairman, 'DenkAhr' Association

Script: 

The Ahr Valley in western Germany: Today it looks peaceful, with its famous wine, hiking trails, and quiet villages. 

But just five years ago, this river was at the center of Germany’s worst flood disaster in decades. 

In just a single night, thousands of homes were damaged and 135 people lost their lives here. 

Now, life seems back to normal, but small reminders of the flood are all around – 

Raising the question: how are the people of the Ahr Valley searching for closure, while still living through the aftermath?   

At the town church, I meet Armin von Ameln, who has lived in the valley for most of his life. 
 
00:39-00:47   Armin von Ameln, Local council member     
SOT: Armin von Ameln, Local council member 

"Ja und ich komm nach Hause, auf einmal starkes Rauschen und dann stand ich schon bis hier im Wasser. So schnell ging das auf einmal, da wusste ich: es ist die Katastrophe, jetzt ist nichts mehr zu machen." 

("I was coming home when suddenly there was a loud roar, and then I was standing in water up to here. It happened so fast. That's when I knew: this is a disaster; there’s nothing we can do now.") 

As a practicing Catholic, faith helps him stay grounded. 

00:56-01:01  Armin von Ameln, Local council member  
SOT: Armin von Ameln, Local council member 

"So hoch hat das Wasser gestanden. Die kreuzende Linie ist ein Zeichen – es kann wieder Mal geschehen." 

("This is how high the water was (in the church). The line across is a reminder – it could happen again.") 

He takes me to the nearby cemetery, which was also devastated by the flood. 

Now rebuilt, the community hopes to honour the victims inside the restored chapel. 

01:13-01:17 Armin von Ameln, Local council member   
SOT: Armin von Ameln, Local council member 

"Einander zu helfen, einander zu trösten. Das ist jetzt an sich die wichtigste Aufgabe, die wir haben. Je mehr man auch darüber spricht, je besser ist vieles zu verkraften. Wenn das stillgehalten wird, dann kann es auch zu ganz schlimmen Krankheiten führen, besonders psychischer Art." 

("Helping one another, comforting one another. That is the most important task we have now. The more you talk about it, the better you can cope with a lot of things. If you keep it bottled up, it can lead to some very serious illnesses, especially mental health issues.") 

Dr. Katharina Scharping leads the Trauma Help Center in the Ahr Valley which aims to support those in need. 

01:34 – 01:55 Dr. Katharina Scharping, Head of Trauma Help Center Ahr Valley          
SOT: Dr. Katharina Scharping, Head of Trauma Help Center Ahr Valley 

"Wenn es draußen regnet, ist es direkt Thema. Ganz viele Menschen haben Angst, verlassen das Haus nicht mehr. Jetzt ist es mehr hingeshifted auch zu einfach existenziellen Sorgen, wirtschaftlichen Sorgen, Depressionen, vermehrtem Suchtmittelgebrauch, Verbitterung, auch weil der Wiederaufbau nicht so läuft, wie man sich das vorgestellt hat." 

("When it rains outside, it immediately becomes a topic of conversation. A lot of people are afraid and don't leave the house anymore. Now, it has shifted to existential concerns, financial worries, depression, increased substance abuse, and bitterness – also when the reconstruction isn't going as expected.") 

She tells me that five years later, around 4,000 people here are still psychologically affected by the flood. 

And yet, despite everything: many people chose to stay and rebuild.   

Even as experts warn that flooding in the Ahr Valley could happen again. 

2:12-2:22 Katrin Lohe, Ahr Valley resident              
SOT: Katrin Lohe, Ahr Valley resident 

"Das war für uns von Anfang an klar, wir machen weiter. Kindheit, alles hier verbracht, das zeichnet einen auch – die Verbundenheit. Mich bekommt hier auch keiner weg!" 

("It was clear to us from the very beginning: we’ll keep going. Childhood and everything spent here. That shapes who you are – that connection. Nobody can get me to leave here either!") 

That feeling is echoed here again and again, 

But as the reconstruction continues, many physical traces of the flood are slowly disappearing.   

Researchers warn that over time, societies can begin underestimating flood risks – especially as memories of the disaster become more distant. 

Some German experts call this 'flood amnesia'. 

Such fear of forgetting is partly why the DenkAhr association is planning a permanent memorial at this site.  

2:50-3:01 Fritz Vennemann, Memorial architect       
SOT: Fritz Vennemann, Memorial architect 
"Dass Außenstehende einfach mal sehen können – wenn man sich jetzt so 4 Meter 50 cm vorstellt, wie ist denn das, wenn ich es mir jetzt mal als Wasser vorstelle, dann wir es einem, glaub ich, ganz anders bei." 

("So that outsiders can simply get a sense: If you picture a height of 4.5 meters, what would that be like? If you then imagine it as water, I think it feels completely different.") 

3:02-3:22  Jochen E. Diedenhofen, Memorial artist  
SOT: Jochen E. Diedenhofen, Memorial artist 

"Beim Marathonlauf damals (in 2003), bin ich ins Koma gefallen, bin ich wieder aufgewacht und durfte leben. Die Opfer, die bei der schrecklichen Ahr-Katastrophe ums Leben gekommen sind, wollten alle leben und durften nicht mehr leben. Und das hat mich tief beeindruckt." 

("During the marathon (in 2003), I fell into a coma but woke up again and was allowed to live. The victims who lost their lives in the terrible Ahr disaster all wanted to live, but were not allowed to. That made a deep impression on me.") 

The group hopes to add 136 bronze stones to the large memorial – for each flood victim in the valley – with the last one empty as a symbol for those who died of its consequences.  

3:34-3:49   Sascha Schmidt-Horster  Chairman, DenkAhr association       
SOT: Sascha Schmidt-Horster, Chairman, DenkAhr association 

"Das ist ja vor allerding eine seelische Narbe, die bei den ganzen Betroffenen hier im Ahrtal zurückgeblieben ist. Das braucht viel Zeit. Und das Denkmal hilft halt immer da dran, sich zu erinnern, dass sowas geschehen ist, auch wenn vielleicht die Narben hier dann nicht mehr zu sehen sind." 

("Above all, this has left an emotional scar on everyone affected here in the Ahr Valley. That will take a long time. The memorial helps us to keep remembering that this happened, even if the scars may no longer be visible here.") 

While some residents support the project with donations, others are less enthusiastic – 

Including a woman I met here. She told me: 'If you walk past this house every day, it is enough of a memorial.' 

In the Ahr Valley, the search for closure continues along different paths – with many residents learning how to live alongside their painful memories. 

All this, of course, while the river flows on.  
END