jenny hill, bbc news, erftstadt.germany, the extreme weather has touched parts of the netherlands, luxembourg, switzerland and belgium. our correspondent anna holligan assesses the scene for us, beginning in belgium. homes engulfed, whole villages submerged. parts of liege annihilated by the elements. rescuers are still navigating areas to the west, in the town of pepinster. the military was drafted in to assist the stranded on land and by air, and for some it's a desperate wait to find out whether their loved ones made it. translation: my wife is looking for her mother who lives - in a town nearby. we have no means of communication. we don't know where she is or how she's doing. in nearby verviers, the waters have receded, but they're still stunned by the extent of the destruction. translation: this shop has been open for three years. _ we had to go through renovations. we had to live through covid. we were hoping to get back on ourfeet. and now this. in the netherlands, this was roermond. swathes of the city have d

jenny hill, bbc news, erftstadt.any survivors have spoken of the speed at which water levels rose as the rain came down. and tonight, some towns and villages remain under threat, with thousands of people in the netherlands and belgium urged to leave their homes. 0ur correspondent anna holligan has more details. homes engulfed, whole villages submerged. parts of liege annihilated by the elements. rescuers are still navigating areas to the west, in the town of pepinster. the military was drafted in to assist the stranded on land and by air, and for some it's a desperate wait to find out whether their loved ones made it. translation: my wife | is looking for her mother who lives in a town nearby. we have no means of communication. we don't know where she is or how she's doing. in nearby verviers, the waters have receded, but they're still stunned by the extent of the destruction. translation: this shop has been open for three years. _ we had to go through renovations. we had to live through covid. we were hoping to get

rescue work taking place. of erftstadt to see the rescue work translation: of erftstadt to see the rescuethis translation: of erftstadt to see the rescue wor< , , ., ., distress translation: this is a time of distress and — translation: this is a time of distress and our _ translation: this is a time of distress and our country - translation: this is a time of distress and our country stands | distress and our country stands together during this time. i am very pleased to see just how much sympathy and solidarity is being shown, not only here in the region but also throughout germany. our correspondentjenny hill has been at an aid centre in the german town of nurburg and sent this update. there must be scores of people here sorting through all of this donated clothing, donated supplies. people bringing all of this throughout yesterday, overnight, and now this morning, too. they actually say they need more help here. these are all volunteers. it's a mammoth taskjust to get all of this sorted. it is of course for the countless people who have been forced out of their homes by these floods.

kasia madera in erftstadt in germany.s self—isolating at home after testing positive for coronavirus. mrjavid, who's had both vaccines, said he'd felt a "bit groggy" on friday night. his announcement comes as the government prepares to go ahead with lifting coronavirus restrictions in england on monday. the decision last night to keep quarantine rules in place for people returning to england and wales from france — even if they are fully vaccinated — has been heavily criticised by travel firms. ijust wanted to update you all that i have tested positive for covid. i was feeling a bit groggy last night so i took a lateral flow test this morning and it came out positive. so i am now self—isolating at home with my family until i get the result of a pcr test. i am grateful that i have had two jabs of the vaccine and so far my symptoms are very mild. this comes ahead of a crucial week for ministers. from monday legal restrictions will be lifted in england, but there were more than 54,000 positive cases reported yesterday and so

in the town erftstadt, they are still looking for people.re sending divers into houses, which is still underwater, to have a look inside. it is still a search operation. a press conference earlier with regard to the operation in that town, they got about 100 or so people out of that particular area. you saw the pictures, catastrophic what happened. it is probably a question of trying to locate missing people rather than getting people out of their homes. it was difficult for emergency services. they tried to get people out by boat, helicopter. at times there were people they could not get to. laura: you have been reporting how germans feel vulnerable tonight. did they feel they got enough warning about this epic flooding? jenny: of all the people we have spoken to, they said there was not any warning. a lot of people were taken by surprise, the speed at which the rain came and in such volume. subsequently how quickly the floodwaters rose. when we talk about the first night of flooding on wednesday, many say the water was at their feet one mi

and i am live in erftstadt where the president was visiting, one of the worst impacted towns. the recovery operation is under way. the uk's health secretary sajid javid says he has tested positive for coronavirus and is experiencing "mild" symptoms. i was feeling a bit groggy last night so i took a lateral flow test this morning and it's come out positive, so i'm now self isolating at home with my family until i get the results of a pcr test. olympics organisers announce the first case of coronavirus in the athletes�* village, six days before the tokyo games begin. hello and welcome if you are watching in the uk or around the world. rescue crews have been racing to find survivors after the floods that wreaked havoc in germany and its western neighbours switzerland, luxembourg and the netherlands. at least 160 people are so far known to have died across europe, some 140 of them in germany alone. hundreds remain unaccounted for, and thousands are now homeless. thousands of residents of wassenberg, an area west of the german city of cologne, have left their homes after a dam was

kasia in erftstadt in germany.covid. i was feeling a bit groggy last night so i took a lateral flow test this morning and it came out positive. so i am now self—isolating at home with my family until i get the result of a pcr test. i am grateful that i have had two jabs of the vaccine and so far my symptoms are very mild. i also want to take this opportunity to thank everyone involved in our national vaccine roll—out programme, truly the best of its kind anywhere in the world. if you haven�*t had yourjabs yet, please get out there and get them as soon as you can. and if, like me, you might feel a bit groggy or you feel you might have come into contact with someone who is positive, please also take a lateral flow test. if everyone plays their part, you�*re not only protecting yourself and your loved ones, but you�*re also safeguarding the nhs and helping to preserve our way life. thank you. earlier on i spoke to our political correspondentjessica parker who explained the current situation. now the prospect of the he

and i am live in erftstadt where the president was visiting, one of the worst impacted towns.e uk's health secretary sajid javid says he has tested

emergency workers found at least 50 survivors in erftstadt, germany after rushing waters submerged neighborhoods. nearby rescuers and helicopters plucking survivors off their roofs. entire towns devastated, homes collapsed, cars washed away this man describing his family's desperate escape from the rising water. it was a matter of two minutes. we made it out the window, he says. the massive flooding hit belgium and the netherlands as well as germany, where many areas received a month's worth of rain in just a few hours. >> there are so many people dead. >> reporter: one mayor tonight fearing the death toll will still rise >> so many families that have lost relatives and families that have lost everything >> reporter: rescue crews are stretched over hundreds of loca before more rain comes. lester >> raf sanchez tonight, thank you >>> and still overseas, the worst rioting and looting south africa has seen in hundreds of stores targeted nationwide. the president now calling in the military our kelly cobiella is there. >> reporter: tonight thousands of soldiers out on the streets in response to thes

missing after houses either collapsed or were swept away by torrents of water after a landslide in erftstadt—blessemolished by the flooding. it's thought the ground collapsed into a nearby gravel pit. earlier, we heard from moritz friedenberg, a journalist at radio hagen, the local station for hagen, one of worst affected cities in germany's north rhine—westphalia region. in the morning we spoke to the fire department in hagen and they told us that the situation starts relaxing a little bit, so the water level drops and the rivers go back, in the morning we spoke to the fire department in hagen and they told us that the situation starts relaxing a little bit, so the water level drops and the rivers go back, but there is still lots of work to do and you can imagine there are lots of people who have insecurity at the moment. moritz, when you say the water level is receding, and they told us that the situation starts relaxing a little bit, moritz, when you say the water level is receding, that doesn't necessarily mean the problems are over, does it? all no, the problems start now because now you see th

in erftstadt in germany, whole houses have been submerged and a landslide has demolished parts of the town. well, our correspondent, jenny hill is in erfstadt, with the very latest for us this evening. good evening. this is the headquarters for the emergency services who through the night and through the day have been running their search and rescue operation. terrible scenes in this part of the town last night, a large landslide, houses collapsing, parts of the area still underwater. 0r date the death toll has continued to rise and we expect it will rise further —— all day. they are still people unaccounted for, you walk this region and you meet people who looked dazed and bewildered, and quite visibly still in a state of shock. perhaps the german president frank walter steinmeier spoke for many when he described what has happened and what is happening as a tragedy which has left him stunned. this country is reeling from the enormity of its loss. this is the town of erfstadt where the ground just fell away. under the weight of water, houses collapsed in the night. dramatic rescues, b

in the town of erftstadt in germany, whole houses have been submerged and a landslide has demolishede town. 0ur correspondent, jenny hill, sepnt the day there. the ground just fell away. this is the town of erfstadt where the 0vernight houses collapse as the walls just fell in. another shock and the enormity of its loss. it happened so fast one officials said there was no time for warning. officials said there was no time forwarning. rescuers rushed in but this morning the authorities here said people trapped in their homes were calling them for help and in many cases they just calling them for help and in many cases theyjust couldn't reach them. those who did make it out came to shelters like this. we met him here he and his wife were winched to safety last night. he arrived barefoot and soaking wet. what were you thinking as they winced you up? i ask. i thinking as they winced you up? iask. i had thinking as they winced you up? i ask. i had to leave my man, he says. he has lived here for more than 70 years. there've been floods he told us that but not like this.— not like this. you

anna holligan, bbc news. 0ur correspondentjenny hill is in erftstadt near cologne, and says we are ay from knowing the full picture of what has happened in germany. well over 90 people are now confirmed dead in these floods, but that number is expected to only rise as the day goes on, and that's because a lot of people are still missing. now, the authorities in western germany say they can't really tell us exactly how many people are unaccounted for. that's because mobile phone signal has gone down in many of the affected areas, so it may be that some people are trying to communicate with their loved ones but are unable to, or it may be that the worst has happened. i'm stood on the banks here of the river erft and you can probablyjust see how powerful this water still is. much of this area is under water. and just a little bit further behind me in part of the town here, here, terrible scenes unfolded overnight. a number of houses collapsed and rescue workers have been trying trying to get to other people trapped in their homes using boats because the area has been completely flooded.

. >> brangham: in the german town of erftstadt, several people died when floodwaters caused the land beneath their homes to collapse. search and rescue crews are on a desperate hunt for the missing. >> ( translated ): there is little sleep at the moment. but the emergency workers feel obligated to help. because they know how desperate some people are for help. >> brangham: entire communities have been left in ruins. as floodwaters started to recede today, the full extent of the destruction was revealed. on her visit to washington, d.c. yesterday, german chancellor angela merkel called the flooding a catastrophe. >> ( translated ): these are terrible days for the people in the flooded areas. my thoughts are with you, and you can trust that all forces of our government will do everything to save lives, alleviate danger, and relieve distress. >> brangham: as parts of europe dig out from this latest weather disaster, the european union this week revealed an ambitious climate change plan-- one that could hopefully, in time, lessen these types of disasters. the e.u. is proposing a slew of

and we've just had this footage in of a landslide in erftstadt—blessem near cologne.as their houses were being swept away by the mudslides. politicians across germany are making the link between the severe weather and the natural catastrophe weather and the natural catastrophe we are seeing here in western germany and climate change. that is putting the issue of global warming back on the national agenda, before a now it is about clearing up the aftermath, looking after the bereaved, but also searching for the large number of people missing. ten years ago, amy winehouse was found dead in her flat in north london. a hugely successful performer, she found it hard to shake her demons. now her parents, janis and mitch, are telling her story in a new bbc documentary called �*reclaiming amy'. they spoke to our music reporter mark savage at the jazz cafe in camden, where she performed. what am i scared of? myself. it is ten years since amy winehouse died of alcohol poisoning at the age of 27. i will always remember our last words. i said, "i love you, amy". she said, "i love