The storm during the night of July 14-15, 2021, particularly affected the district of Ahrweiler (Rhineland-Palatinate). The authorities have declared a disaster situation. The ZF plant in Ahrweiler has also been severely affected by flooding.
Although the water level has fallen in the meantime, the plant has been seriously damaged and the ground is covered with a thick layer of mud. ZF plant fire departments from the locations of Schweinfurt and Saarbrücken are currently assisting with the evacuation work. It will not be possible for operations to resume in the short term - the extent of the damage and the duration of the production outage cannot be estimated at present.
ZF is doing everything possible to minimize the impact on customers. The company also has emergency staff in place to coordinate the quickly arising and necessary actions in a focused manner. Furthermore, contact has already been made with the plant's employees to inform them about the situation and to find out how they may have been personally affected by the flood disaster.
In order to support the people in the district of Ahrweiler in this emergency situation, ZF hilft e.V. is launching a fundraising and relief campaign.
Donation account ZF hilft e.V.:
Bank: Deutsche Bank Friedrichshafen
BIC: DEUTDESS650
Iban: DE59 6507 0084 0393 9394 00
Reference: „Ahrweiler“.
In line with supporting social responsibility in the region – especially as many people have been affected by this extreme situation, ZF hilft e.V. will use the donations to support all those affected in the region as well as ZF employees.
"The floods have robbed countless people of their livelihoods overnight," said ZF Chief Human Resources Officer Sabine Jaskula. "It is a matter of course for us to quickly provide them with financial support to help them make a fresh start."
ZF's General Works Council Chairman Achim Dietrich is also asking for support: "The pictures from Ahrweiler make me very sad. Now, it is important that we stand together and support the colleagues in need so that they can overcome this difficult situation as quickly as possible."