00:00The Ahr Valley in western Germany.
00:02Today, it looks peaceful, with its famous wine, hiking trails and quiet villages.
00:08But just five years ago, this river was at the center of Germany's worst flood disaster
00:13in decades.
00:14In just a single night, thousands of homes were damaged and 135 people lost their lives
00:20here.
00:21Now, life seems back to normal, but small reminders of the flood are all around, raising
00:26the question, how are the people of the Ahr Valley searching for closure while still living
00:31through the aftermath?
00:33At the town church, I meet Armin von Ameln, who has lived in the valley for most of his
00:37life.
00:38I was coming home when suddenly there was a loud roar and then I was standing in water
00:43up to here.
00:43It happened so fast, that's when I knew this is a disaster.
00:50As a practicing Catholic, faith helps him stay grounded.
00:55This is how high the water was.
00:57The line is a reminder, it could happen again.
01:00He takes me to the nearby cemetery, which was also devastated by the flood.
01:05Now, rebuilt, the community hopes to honor the victims inside the restored chapel.
01:12Helping one another, comforting one another, that is the most important task we have now.
01:16The more you talk about it, the better you can cope with a lot of things.
01:19If you keep it bottled up, it can lead to some very serious illnesses, especially mental
01:23health issues.
01:25Dr. Katharina Sharping leads the Trauma Help Centre in the Ahr Valley, which aims to support
01:31those in need.
01:33When it rains outside, it immediately becomes a topic of conversation.
01:37A lot of people are afraid and don't leave the house anymore.
01:41Now it has shifted to existential concerns, financial worries, depression, increased substance
01:47abuse and bitterness.
01:50Also, when the reconstruction isn't going as expected.
01:55She tells me that five years later, around 4,000 people here are still psychologically affected
02:01by the flood.
02:02And yet, despite everything, many people chose to stay and rebuild.
02:07Even as experts warn that flooding in the Ahr Valley could happen again.
02:11It was clear to us from the very beginning, we'll keep going.
02:15Childhood and everything spent here, that shapes who you are, that connection.
02:19Nobody can get me to leave here.
02:22That feeling is echoed here again and again.
02:25But as the reconstruction continues, many physical traces of the flood are slowly disappearing.
02:31Researchers warn that over time, societies can begin underestimating flood risks, especially
02:36as memories of the disaster become more distant.
02:38Some German experts call this flood amnesia.
02:42Such fear of forgetting is partially why the Dengar Association is planning a permanent memorial
02:48at this site.
02:49So outsiders can simply get a sense.
02:52If you picture a height of 4.5 meters, what would that be like?
02:56If you imagine it as water, I think it feels completely different.
03:00In the marathon more than 20 years ago, I fell into a coma but woke up again and was allowed
03:06to live.
03:06The victims who lost their lives in the terrible Ahr disaster all wanted to live, but were not
03:13allowed to.
03:14That made a deep impression on me.
03:21The group hopes to add 136 bronze stones to the large memorial for each flood victim
03:27in the valley, with the last one empty as a symbol for those who died of its consequences.
03:33Above all, this has left an emotional scar on everyone affected here in the Ahr Valley.
03:37That will take a long time.
03:39The memorial helps us to keep remembering that this happened, even if the scars may no
03:44longer be visible here.
03:49While some residents support the project with donations, others are less enthusiastic.
03:55Including a woman I met here.
03:56She told me, if you walk past this house every day, it's enough of a memorial.
04:00In the Ahr Valley, the search for closure continues along different paths, with many residents learning
04:07how to live alongside their painful memories.
04:10All this, of course, while the river flows on.
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