Floods in Bavaria & Baden-Württemberg | How you can help now

The floods in Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg are currently keeping large parts of southern Germany in suspense and have already had serious consequences for entire districts: People were evacuated from their homes. Train services are restricted in many places. Roads and bridges had to be closed.

You are probably also wondering how to best help the people and districts affected by flooding. While the first impulse is often to lend a hand directly, most aid and disaster relief organizations are currently calling for monetary donations. In this article, we have collected some appeals for donations from active local organizations that you can support now.

With rising temperatures, triggered by the climate crisis, the probability of such flooding events will increase in the future. And thus also the relevance of civil defense, which is largely supported by volunteers. So if you want to help directly during the next flood, the best thing you can do is volunteer long-term at one of the many relief and disaster protection organizations. This way, you are prepared for an emergency and can help out reliably right from the start. You can also find out how and where to do this here in the blog.

We will continue to update this blog over the next few months and add new calls for help. So it’s worth taking a look again and again.

>> To the appeals for donations

>> About the honorary posts

>> Useful information on behaviour in the event of flooding

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1. Donate now for flood victims and aid organizations

Bavarian Red Cross | Support the team in Bavaria

The Bavarian Red Cross and its emergency services have been in action since the start of the floods, rescuing people from the floodwaters, among other things. With a donation, you support the BRK e.g. in the procurement of equipment as well as the training and accommodation of the emergency services.

Diakonie disaster relief | Donate to support the victims of the flood disaster

It is already clear that the damage caused by the floods in Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg will run into the millions. Diakonie supports affected households in coping with the acute emergency situation. Among other things, it has already sent 100 construction dryers to the affected regions.

Malteser Baden-Württemberg | Support flood victims in Baden-Württemberg

In regions of Baden-Württemberg affected by the floods, the emergency services have evacuated a retirement and nursing home, among others, and are now looking after the residents in the spontaneously set-up emergency accommodation. You can support their valuable work with a donation.

DLRG Bayern | Donation for the rescuers on the water

Since the beginning of the flood disaster, the DLRG local groups have been rescuing people from houses trapped by the water, saving belongings from the currents, and bringing animals safely back to their owners. Your donation will help the DLRG to purchase the equipment and materials they need for their missions.

Landesfeuerwehrverband Bayern | Support for injured firefighters

With your donation to the special account “Help for helpers” of the Bavarian State Fire Brigade Association, you support firefighters and their families, e.g. in the event of accidents or deaths in the fire department.

Caritas | Donate for Caritas facilities damaged by the floods, e.g. the food bank

In Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg, Caritas facilities such as food banks, clothing stores, and a meeting café for mentally ill people were also affected by the floods. With a donation, you can help Caritas to reopen its services and offers for people who are already in need as quickly as possible.

2. Get trained and provide support in the event of a disaster

If you would like to be involved in the next disaster (which hopefully won’t happen so quickly) from the very beginning, we recommend volunteering in disaster control. There you will receive professional training, be provided with the necessary equipment in an emergency, and be able to help effectively. Your voluntary work can look very different. At the German Red Cross, for example, you could become part of the mountain rescue service or the water rescue service. Or join one of the many volunteer fire departments in Germany. You can find more information about the volunteer fire departments, their areas of operation, and the requirements here. The Johanniter also offer various volunteer positions in civil protection. The best way to do this is to take a look at the Johanniter website.

However, if you decide to volunteer during this or the next flood event, you can find more important information about your volunteer work on the website of the Bundesamtes für Bevölkerungsschutz und Katastrophenhilfe: What should you consider before you go on a mission? How should you behave on-site? How do you behave after your deployment?

On our volunteering platform vostel.de you will also find numerous volunteering opportunities in disaster control and first aid. Here you can get in direct contact with the organizations and see what support they currently need.

3. Useful information on behaviour in the event of flooding

General information on flood precautions and behaviour can also be found on the website of the Bundesamtes für Bevölkerungsschutz und Katastrophenhilfe. Here you can access the latest warnings from the German Weather Service and find important tips for emergency situations.

We would also like to recommend the website of the Landeshochwasserzentrale. It provides a clear overview of all flood warnings, current water levels and other important information.

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