German villages could be left with no drinking water after floods

Country starts debate over more efficient early-warning system for future extreme weather eventsTowns and villages devastated by last week's extreme weather events in western Germany fear they could be left without access to power and drinking water for months as the country starts to debate whether a more efficient early-warning system could have saved the lives of some of the 163 who died in the floods.In the Ahrweiler region on the edge of Eifel mountains, about 30,000 are currently without power, drinking water and gas, after flash floods brought on by record downpours devastated the area last Wednesday, breaking up sewage systems, tearing through a major gas pipeline and bringing a purification plant to a standstill. Continue reading...