On 28 August 2021, Aachen Cathedral will commemorate the victims of the flood disaster in North Rhine-Westphalia and Rhineland-Palatinate. To mark the commemoration, flags will be flown at half-mast on all state and federal government buildings on this day. The municipality of Rüdersdorf near Berlin joins in with this flag flying at the town hall.
Background:
There were extreme storms in parts of Germany in mid-July. Rhineland-Palatinate and North Rhine-Westphalia were the worst affected. On 14 July and during the night of 15 July, 100 to 150 litres of rain per square metre fell within 24 hours in parts of the two federal states. The majority of the water poured down in a short time window of ten to 18 hours. Normally, less rain falls on average throughout the month of July. As a result of the heavy rain, flash floods and massive flooding occurred in the affected regions, causing deaths and enormous damage. [...]
In Germany, the authorities have so far reported more than 180 deaths due to the flood of the century (all figures in the section as of 27 July). As many people are still missing, the number of fatalities is expected to rise. Rhineland-Palatinate is particularly affected: at least 133 people died there, almost all of them in the district of Ahrweiler in the Eifel region. More than 700 people were injured in the state and 73 are still missing. In North Rhine-Westphalia, at least 47 people died as a result of the storm. [...]"(https://www.bpb.de/politik/hintergrund-aktuell/337277/jahrhunderthochwasser-2021-in-deutschland)