Cronenberger Woche, 31/08/2021
“The floods will come again,” Dr. Andreas Groß is certain: “We can’t wait years now, we have to do something quickly – now,” the head of the Berger Gruppe made an urgent appeal to the city, the Wupper Association and politicians in the city triangle as well as in the state and federal government today, Tuesday afternoon, 31 August 2021. But Groß didn’t just make demands, he also delivered: the Kohlfurth-based entrepreneur has developed an internet-based warning system – the so-called “Bergische Hochwasserschutz-System 4.0” could provide early warning of impending floods along the Wupper in the future.
“We’re burning for it,” said Andreas Groß, who was also personally “emotional” about the issue of flood protection: his Heinz Berger Maschinenfabrik in Kohlfurth was also affected by the storm disaster on 14/15 July (CW reported). Around 7,200 square meters of the total production area of around 8,000 square meters at the Kohlfurth bridge were under water – the company in Dörper estimates the damage at around 850,000 euros.
Flood disaster: 300 million euros in damage to IHK companies
Andreas Groß does not want to be surprised again: the Berger boss has developed the concept for a flood protection system along the Wupper. The Bergische Industrie- und Handelskammer (IHK) has Andreas Groß on its side, and not just because he is its Vice President. IHK President Henner Pasch and Managing Director Michael Wenge also promised Groß their full support, because the floods in July affected around 1,500 companies in the city triangle – estimated damage: around 300 million euros.
Andreas Groß and the IHK want to have closely meshed measuring sensors installed along the Wupper and its tributaries so that a disaster on this scale cannot happen again and companies and residents can be warned of approaching floods in good time. Combined with forecasts from the weather service and information from the Wupper Association, this would make it possible to predict water levels and possible floods better and earlier – if possible also by means of quick information via citizen apps directly on cell phones.
Becoming a model region with a flood protection system
Together with the IHK, the Berger boss now wants to quickly get all those involved, such as the towns bordering the Wupper, the state, the Wupper Association, the municipal utilities and the University of Wuppertal on board in order to quickly get the “Bergisch Flood Protection System 4.0” off the ground – perhaps as a model region to then make the system available to other flood-prone regions. IHK President Henner Pasch was confident: the mayors of the three Bergisch cities had understood “that things have to move quickly now”, reported Pasch after initial talks: With 300 million euros of damage in the Bergisch IHK area alone, “it must be affordable”, the IHK boss was convinced.
And Berger boss Andreas Groß put the pressure on: “Now the iron is hot, now it has to be forged, now we have to do it…!”