EM Application in German Flood Relief

Following the floods of the Elbe River in 2002, the German government immediately began applying EM to the contaminated stagnant waters and drained sites in the Witten-berg District. In response to the Katrina disaster, the Honorable Michael Meissner, head of the District Authority for Fire Rescue and Disaster Control wrote, "We believe that the application of these (Effective) Microorganisms could be a valuable contribution for the citizens of New Orleans and the whole affected area. We, being the region impacted in 2002, as well as the whole population of Wittenberg County, were grateful for having such support. We also wish the citizens of New Orleans such assistance in this difficult task of coping with the damage after the flood, and for the future we wish for a quick return to normalcy.

German Flood Relief

The great flood of the Elbe River in August 2002 was the biggest flood disaster in Germany in decades, with 20 casualties and more than $20 billion (USA) of damage in property and infrastructure. The flood was caused by extreme and continuous rainfall for many days in the mountains of Austria, the Czech Republic and Germany. This is in no way comparable to the disaster of last December’s tsunami in the countries bordering on the Indian Ocean but just the same people had to experience how helpless we are in face of such forces of nature.The Elbe River, one of the major streams in Europe, stretches slightly more than 1000 kilometers from east to west and descends 1384 meters from its origin in the Bohemian mountains to the North Sea. 65% of it passes through Germany, 34% through the Czech Republic. The catchment area amounts to 148,268 square kilometers. The stream flow per year measures at the Czech-German border 10 billion cubic meters and at its mouth 28 billion cubic meters per year.

In many places the dams left and right of the river were soaked to the core and threatened to break. In fear of the dams breaking, thousands of volunteers helped to strengthen and secure them. Also, parts of the German Army were called in to assist by hand or with heavy machinery where this was possible. Because of the soaked grounds in many occasions, help could only come on foot or by helicopters. Sometimes single estates and even single villages were secured by strengthening the dams. Many of these attempts failed in the end because of the tremendous amounts of water. The strong current swept everything along and carried all kinds of debris in houses, gardens and fields. When the dams broke the water poured into open fields and rushed down streets, flooding villages and towns from the back so that there was no protection for the inhabitants any more. Thus, the water flooded large areas and hundreds of villages and towns in the rather flat region.
In Germany a large number of private houses have oil tanks for the central heating systems in their basements. One of the major problems was the oil from underground storage or from the oil tanks in private cellars. Millions of liters of oil were washed into houses, gardens and fields. In addition hundreds of communal wastewater treatment plants – notably those of the city of Dresden - were flooded so that their sludge along with chemicals and excrement mixed with the oil and contaminated everything within its reach. Due to various contaminants, the cultivation of crops and vegetables was impossible for a prolonged time. Farms as well as industrial entities were affected.
Roughly one year before in the German speaking countries Austria, Germany and Switzerland a Non-profit organization entitled EM e.V. had been founded. As soon as the scale of the catastrophe was obvious they decided to help in the aftermath with donations of Effective Microorganisms™ or EM•1^®. In Germany alone more than 6,000 liters of EM•1^® were donated and shipped to one particular area in order to help fight the developing stench and contamination. With the help of volunteers the producer of EM•1^® in Germany, EMIKO Ltd., filled 4,000 liters in 10-liter containers and had them shipped to the Elbe River area. One dealer produced 2,000 liters of Activated EM•1^® and had it shipped there, too. At the same time the Austrian producer of EM•1^®, Multikraft Ltd., donated several thousand liters to support one particular area in Austria where the heavy rains had broken the dams of one particular river and devastated a number of villages and towns in a similar manner.
The operation was limited to a few villages by the Elbe River. The first problem: Apart from one family, no one had heard of EM•1^® before. So, first, of all the inhabitants were called to meetings where they were informed of the properties of EM•1^® and briefly educated on how and where to use EM•1^® most effectively. After the instruction every household could take 10 liters home, but some asked for additional EM•1^® for neighbors and friends.
While giving out the EM•1^® many questions had to be answered. Most people needed EM•1^® to eliminate stench and mold from their previously flooded rooms and basements. They also wanted to treat their gardens, orchards and ponds. Some volunteers were able to stay an extra day and visit some of the places in order to give advice on the use of EM•1^®. Many trees had lost their fruit or died from the contamination.
Through the contacts of a native Japanese individual living in Germany who volunteered in the whole operation, a team from a Japanese TV station came to report on the flood. The also came to film the activities at a school where teachers and students together learned about the efficiency of the EM•1^®. Here the school’s principal gave an interview on how Effective Microorganisms™, conceived by Dr. Higa in Japan, could now help a school in Germany. Due to the flood, the entire ground floor of the school could not be used. With applications of EM•1^® all renovation could be executed without suffering from stench and mold. For many people the appearance of mold became the biggest problem. Fortunately, EM•1^® proved to prevent the growth of these molds quite effectively.