德国总理默克尔18日前往该国受洪水侵袭最为严重的莱法州了解灾情后表示，此次洪灾造成的巨大破坏几乎超出了德语能够形容的范畴。她承诺德国联邦政府将为当地受灾民众提供全面的援助，内阁计划首先于21日通过一项紧急援助计划。 德国、荷兰、比利时等西欧多国近来暴发大规模洪涝灾害，其中以德国受灾最为严重。据法新社报道，截至当地时间18日深夜，已有超过190人在洪灾中遇难，其中德国至少160人遇难。 默克尔当天与该州州长德莱尔前往灾情最为严重的阿尔韦勒县境内舒尔德和阿登瑙两个市镇实地勘灾。她表示，灾情令人震惊。 “太可怕了，”默克尔说，“德语里几乎找不到词汇来描述这场洪水已经造成的巨大破坏”。“我同时也看到令人十分宽慰的一幕，那就是人们如何团结互助。”默克尔向该国受灾的民众喊话称，“我们与你们站在一起。” 目前，已有来自全德国各地约2500名救援人员正在北威州和莱法州参与救灾，约900名德国联邦国防军参与了当地的救灾行动。德国联邦警察亦派出直升机救援被困人员。 默克尔和德莱尔当天表示，联邦和州政府将紧密协作进行赈灾。默克尔表示，德国联邦内阁21日即将通过一项紧急援助计划，以帮助那些受洪灾影响的人。 默克尔尤其强调，此次灾情表明，人们必须加快应对气候变化的步伐，同时必须对防洪及其对农林经济的影响展开全面分析。“所幸德国是一个财政上强劲的国家。德国是一个强大的国家，我们的应对不仅包括在短期内战胜这场天灾，还包括在中长期内制定更加关注自然和气候的政策。” Flash floods across parts of western Europe have wreaked havoc in recent days with dozens of people killed, homes ruined and areas still under water. With the clean-up in its early stages, it remains unclear as to the full extent of the damage caused by the heavy downpours. Drone footage from Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands captures just how much damage has been caused to affected areas. A major clean-up operation remains underway in northwest Germany as waters begin to recede from the flash floods, which first started to lash the region Wednesday. Visiting the disaster zone on Sunday, Chancellor Angela Merkel said she was shocked at the level of destruction. "It's frightening," she said. "I almost want to say that the German language hardly knows any words for the devastation here. However what I have also seen is incredibly comforting, how people are sticking together, how they are helping each other and the solidarity that is here." The floods have caused significant damage to critical infrastructure with roads, bridges, and electricity networks all facing multimillion-dollar repair bills. The German military has been drafted to help restore connectivity in affected areas. Hundreds of people remain missing, and authorities are warning the death toll will likely grow as rescuers continue to comb through the destruction. During her visit to the town of Schuld, Merkel said she would be working to ensure the government continues to provide support. "We stand by your side," she said. "The federal government and the state will act together to bring the world back to how it was in this beautiful area. Step by step. And that means that we have to act quickly in the short term but also that recovery will take a long time." 推荐阅读：连日暴雨引发欧洲多地洪灾 遇难人数已超过150人