An industrial estate in Gelsdorf, municipality of Grafschaft. Two signs on a fence indicate the use of the site: "Donation Distribution Centre Ahrtal" and "Logistics Centre Flood Ahr-Gelsdorf". And here he comes. "Hello, I'm Timo. We're all on a first-name basis here," says Timo Feld, holding out his coronavirus fist in greeting.

We walk through the gate past a lorry and pallets full of goods into the tent-like warehouse and on into a provisionally furnished office. A large leather sofa, desk, computer, screens, telephones and a colourful hodgepodge of everyday objects of all kinds dominate the room, in which hardly a square centimetre of space is free. Here, in the control centre of the distribution centre, Sabine welcomes us. She comes from Baden-Württemberg and, like Timo, is part of the team of volunteers. "We accept around ten pallets of mixed goods a day," she explains. Sabine decides what is accepted and what goes back to the donors, because good intentions are not always good intentions: "We are currently well supplied with clothes, and it's still too early for furniture," Timo gives examples. Collected, sorted and ready for collection

The two helpers therefore urge those willing to donate to find out in advance what is currently needed in the flood area. At the time of the visit (and actually always), this includes food, hygiene articles as well as washing, cleaning and cleaning products.
One thing is certain: The need in the Ahr valley is still enormous, reconstruction is progressing slowly and many people are still literally left with nothing. "Many tears flowed from those affected, and I was often very moved too," Timo freely admits.
From one hour to the next, many Ahr residents lost everything they owned. Timo's girlfriend also had to move out of her flat, which was also affected. Timo Feld with food supplies from REWE

The girlfriend and her parents were among those directly affected by the flood. "My girlfriend wasn't in her parents' house that night, which was lucky for her," says Timo, looking back on those fateful hours in July, when the otherwise leisurely rippling river hit people and animals with the force of a tsunami. "The parents were trapped in their house for 18 hours before they were rescued by the army." Fortunately, no one was physically injured in this case. What remained, however, was a destroyed home and considerable damage to property that was not covered by insurance.

Timo himself experienced how an entire village was suddenly evacuated a few days later. "The firefighters just shouted: 'Run, run, the water's coming!' And everyone was already running up the vineyards in panic in their wellies." An event that the young man will never forget. The reason for the alarm was apparently false information about a dam burst due to a breakdown in communication.

Like Timo and Sabine, the other helpers also reported harrowing stories and catastrophic conditions: late or no warning of the masses of water, sluggish rescue operations, overwhelmed incident commanders, inadequate coordination between and among the emergency services and the total breakdown of transport and infrastructure.

Timo reported for duty immediately after the disaster as a "first and universal helper", collecting food donations and then distributing them. Since then, he has tried to help as often as possible, sacrificing weekends, overtime, free time and his entire annual holiday. His employer, REWE Systems, and his colleagues support him, for example by giving him time off work. At the time of the one_visit, he was able to help for ten days in a row. Who gets what? And who does what? On the whiteboard, the aid deliveries are structured according to supply and demand and it is determined who takes on which tasks

"Together with the youth and family associations, I determine what is needed, accept the donations, sort them and put them together on pallets for delivery to the valley," says the IT expert, describing some of his typical tasks in the 1,800 square metre hall. He also sees himself as a multiplier and tries to organise support through his contacts in the REWE Group. Even in his sparse free time, he can't let go of the disaster, so he also canvasses for donations in his private life.