"The situation was a great challenge for all involved. All the more important was an effective and comprehensive coordination of the relief efforts by the task force. The willingness to voluntarily serve the community is not a given and is therefore all the more to be appreciated. The commitment of each individual contributed to our successful management of this operation; nevertheless: we got off lightly and must continue to work on optimization and not become complacent," said the district administrator.
Under the direction of Uwe Wagner, Head of Disaster Control, 80 mostly volunteer helpers were on duty in shifts from Friday morning, May 17th, to Tuesday noon, May 21st, at the command center in the situation center of the Lower Disaster Control Authority. These included specialist advisors from the aid organizations THW, DRK, and Malteser along with their staff, as well as staff officers from the departments S1 to S6, personnel from municipal fire departments and company fire brigades, from the military (district liaison command), from the signal unit, and not least employees from the district administration office, as well as two external helpers. The tasks of the staff included, among other things, continuous monitoring of water levels, sending warning messages via warning apps, setting up and staffing a citizen hotline, coordinating and allocating supplies of sandbags, early planning and preparation of the evacuation of senior facilities, providing vehicles and materials from supporting companies, as well as coordinating and aligning requests for assistance from other districts and municipalities outside the district.
District Administrator Dr. Gallo was repeatedly personally present in the district area and at critical points during this time. He was pleased with the well-functioning cooperation between the units in the municipalities and the disaster control staff, as well as with the great spontaneous willingness to help among the population. Even before this time, it has been important to him to promote permanent and regular participation in aid organizations. "We need the reinforcement of the organizations and, along with that, relief for the volunteers in order to be able to safely manage future emerging hazardous situations. The effective coordination of the deployment of spontaneous helpers is an additional task. The relief of the members of the aid services will be even better if these helpers have a certain 'basic training' and can therefore be deployed more flexibly. This would be particularly advantageous for longer-lasting or more difficult situations. We must prepare and be equipped for such situations," emphasized the District Administrator in front of the district council members and the invited guests, whom he also sincerely thanked on behalf of the Saarpfalz district with a certificate and a gift.
Even though not all emergency personnel could attend the district council meeting, it was ensured that both the certificate and the gift reached the recipients.
