Chancellor Angela Merkel has expressed her dismay in the aftermath of the tropical storm "Harvey" that has battered the USA. She conveyed her sympathy and solidarity to the victims and their families, said deputy government spokesperson Ulrike Demmer in Berlin.
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Chancellor Angela Merkel was deeply shocked by the news of the devastation wreaked by the tropical storm "Harvey", reported deputy government spokesperson Ulrike Demmer at the government press conference on Wednesday.
Since Friday (25 August) Hurricane "Harvey" has been causing chaos, especially in the major Texan city of Houston. The infrastructure in and around Houston has more or less collapsed. Rescue forces are fighting their way through by boat, in order to bring people to safety. Conditions are not expected to improve soon. More torrential rain is forecast for the next few days. Up to 30,000 people could lose their homes. Several have lost their lives.
The rising death toll and the worsening flooding are a sign that the true scale of the disaster cannot yet be gauged, Ulrike Demmer continued.
"Our sympathy and our solidarity go to the victims of this disaster and their families," she said. "We would also like to assure the many emergency services and helpers of our solidarity in their tireless efforts to save people directly affected.