GERMANY: HAIL STORMS FALL NEAR COLOGNE WHILST FARMERS IN EASTERN AREAS FEAR THEIR HARVESTS WILL SUFFER BECAUSE OF DROUGHT
Record ID:
588545
GERMANY: HAIL STORMS FALL NEAR COLOGNE WHILST FARMERS IN EASTERN AREAS FEAR THEIR HARVESTS WILL SUFFER BECAUSE OF DROUGHT
- Title: GERMANY: HAIL STORMS FALL NEAR COLOGNE WHILST FARMERS IN EASTERN AREAS FEAR THEIR HARVESTS WILL SUFFER BECAUSE OF DROUGHT
- Date: 22nd July 2003
- Summary: (EU) COLOGNE GERMANY (JULY 22, 2003) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) (NIGHT SCENES) 1. VARIOUS, FIRE TRUCKS OUT IN THE STREETS 0.11 2. SLV FIRE TRUCKS NEAR FALLEN TREES 0.15 3. SLV FIREFIGHTER PUSHING DAMAGED STREET LAMP POST OVER 0.20 4. SLV FIREMAN CUTTING TREE BRANCHES 0.28 5. CLOSE OF BRANCH STUCK ACROSS CAR FRONT WINDOW, FIREMAN REMOVING BRANCH 0.36 6. TRACKING OF PILES OF HAIL STONES IN ROAD 0.46 7. SLV PARKED CAR STUCK IN PILES OF HAIL (3 SHOTS) 0.57 8. PAN TO FIREMEN SHOVELLING HAIL 1.01 9. VARIOUS, PEOPLE CLEARING FLOODED ROAD 1.15 10. VARIOUS, WATER BEING PUMPED OFF FROM FIRE TRUCK 1.32 11. VARIOUS VIEWS FIREMEN (EU) BERLIN, GERMANY (JULY 22, 2003) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) (DAY SCENES) 12. SLV GERD SONNLEITNER, HEAD OF GERMAN FARMERS ASSOCIATION, WALKING BY STORE WITH FRUIT AND VEGETABLES OUTSIDE 1.36 13. SCU (SOUNDBITE) (German) GERD SONNLEITNER, HEAD OF GERMAN FARMERS ASSOCIATION, SAYING: "It is very dry in the east of Germany, but also in the eastern parts of southern and southwest Germany. The numbers for the wheat farmers -- about 3.5 million hectares have been damaged, that's about 1 billion euros in monetary terms, but other products such as corn, potatoes, turnips and vegetables, fruit and hay -- here the damage has not yet been able to be determined. But altogether it is a catastrophe for the German farmers, and the damage is many times higher than that of last year's floods." 2.23 14. VARIOUS OF PEOPLE BUYING AT FRUIT AND VEGETABLE MARKET 2.27 15. CLOSE OF CASH REGISTER WITH PRICE IN EUROS 2.32 16. CLOSE OF TILL RECIPT BEING GIVEN TO CUSTOMER WITH CHANGE OF EURO NOTES AND COINS 2.43 (EU) BERLIN, GERMANY (JULY 22, 2003) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) 17. SCU SOUNDBITE (German) SONNLEITNER, SAYING: "The farmers have tried to acclimatize -- in Brandenburg they have planted rye which would normally do well. We have always tried to get the most out of the conditions, But this extreme drought that we have had to deal with, with the warm winds that have a very high evaporation rate -- we almost have conditions like in a desert. It's like in Mexico, or south Siberia. 3.16 (EU) GOERITZ, GERMANY (JULY 22, 2003) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) 18. VARIOUS OF WHEAT FIELD WITH BALES OF WHEAT 3.28 19. SLV FARMER THOMAS GOEBEL CLIMBING ON TO BALER /PAN TO MACHINERY 3.28 20. CLOSE UP OF WHEAT STALKS 3.47 21. VARIOUS, SOUNDBITE (German) THOMAS GOEBEL, FARMER LOOKING AT GRAIN AND SAYING: "Just looking at it I can see that I will be able to harvest only about 20 percent, and the quality is not as high as is demanded if we want to sell good wheat. It wont be wheat for bread but rather just for feed." 4.03 22. SLV BALE OF STRAW, PAN TO CLOUDLESS SKY 4.14 Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
- Embargoed: 6th August 2003 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: COLOGNE, BERLIN, FRANKFURT AND GOERITZ, GERMANY
- Country: Germany
- Reuters ID: LVAAPYMOXEHE95TC3TUVOZKTYM7Z
- Story Text: The weather in Germany has brought parts of the country
hailstorms while other regions are suffering from the worst
drought in many years.
Rain and grape-sized hail fell on the western city of
Cologne early Tuesday (July 22) creating havoc for residents
and authorities. Police and fire departments received more
than 200 calls for help.
Many cellars were flooded by the torrential downpour,
several cars were damaged by falling branches and piles of
hailstones covered some streets. Police say no one was
injured.
In other parts of Germany, thunderstorms and high winds
caused traffic snarls due to falling branches and flooded
roadways. Meteorologists said the front has moved north and is
expected to cause further storms in the course of the day.
In the rural eastern and southwestern Germany, farmers
feared their crops could be the worst in years.
German Farmers' Association President Gerd Sonnleitner
told Reuters TV that the drought had already affected 3.5
million hectares of grain fields, causing damage of around one
billion euros. Other crops such as maize, potatoes and turnips
were also hard hit.
"It is becoming a catastrophe for German agriculture," he
said, adding that the drought had caused several times more
damage than record floods in eastern Germany last summer.
"We've almost got a desert with the climate in Brandenburg
at present. It's Mexico, it's southern Siberia."
He said he expected some price increases for fruit and
vegetables but prices for staples such as bread, meat and milk
would remain stable.
Thomas Goebel, a grain farmer in the eastern German state
of Brandenburg, said he expects to be able to harvest only
about 20 percent of his crop this year and that it will cost
farmers a great deal of money. "The quality is not as high as
is demanded if we want to sell good wheat. It won't be wheat
for bread but rather just for feed."
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