Currently, more than 200 vessels are waiting at the height of St. Goar to continue their journey. The reason for the blockage of the Rhine is a vessel with 2,400 tons of sulphuric acid which was damaged on Thursday and is now located across the Rhine. Due to the high water level, the waiting vessels cannot reach the coast and therefore are anchored in the Rhine. THW volunteers supply the mariners with staple foods which are becoming scarce on some of the vessels.

To pile sandbags, to control and stabilise banks, to build footbridges and to keep big and small pumps permanently running – these examples represent only some of the technical relief measures which about 1,500 THW volunteers have implemented for days across Germany. At the weekend, heavy rainfall and plus temperatures made rivers overflow in many places once again. After a short respite in the last week, THW volunteers are again deployed to fight against the water volume.

The influx of refugees from Syria to the neighbouring countries does not stop. About 100,000 refugees are living now in the camp of al Za´atari near the Syrian-Jordan border. The team of THW has been continuously working to improve the living conditions of the refugees in the tent town.

Together with members from UNICEF, the German ambassador in Jordan, Mr Ralph Tarraf, visited on Monday the refugee camp of al Za’atari in the Jordan-Syrian border area. The delegation was briefed about the current situation by THW-staff on site and visited different parts of the camp.