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.

THW’s operations in South Sudan are completed. Since May, THW-staff from the Standing Engineering Capacity-unit (SEC) have supported the United Nations (UN) in setting up accommodation for UN-personnel in the South Sudanese capital of Juba.

With the handing over of THW-equipment to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), THW’s operations in the Horn of Africa were completed in November. For four months, THW supported the UN in improving the living conditions of refugees in Ethiopia: At refugee camps, THW-volunteers repaired water supply equipment and set up sanitation.