German chancellor tours flooded regions in the northwest, praises authorities and volunteers

By KIRSTEN GRIESHABER
Associated Press

BERLIN (AP) — German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has taken a helicopter flight to check the flooded regions in the northwest of the country, where rivers have swelled and overflowed homes, roads and fields after weeks of heavy rain. In recent days, hundreds of people have been evacuated from affected areas in northern and eastern Germany as a precaution. Scholz landed in the town of Verden in Lower Saxony on Sunday, where dikes along rivers were soaked with water and close to bursting in some parts of the state. Scholz thanked both the authorities and countless volunteers for their joint efforts in fighting the floods. The chancellor also promised the federal government would help support affected states and local authorities.