A flooded victim named Joanna laments and desires to sever the connection or tie: a phrase used to express disengagement or cutting off ties with a given situation or condition.

"Now the connection's gone": Johanna, Flood Victim Turning 26, Swept Away in Ahrtal Disaster

• *

Relationship abruptly terminated, opposed to continued communication - A flooded victim named Joanna laments and desires to sever the connection or tie: a phrase used to express disengagement or cutting off ties with a given situation or condition.

This June 1st, we would've celebrated Johanna's 26th birthday, but her seat at the table will remain empty. There'll be no birthday cake from the pastry chef - instead, friends and family will gather at Johanna's parent's house. "We'll be there," says father Ralph Orth, "Those who can stomach it. It's hard for many who can't attend."

The Ahrtal flood disaster in 2021 tore Johanna from her family's lives, literally. Since then, her parents have been battling for justice, taking court proceedings, writing public letters, talking to the media - all to ensure Johanna isn't forgotten and future tragedies like these are prevented.

"She phoned in a panic"

The parents recall that tumultuous night four years ago. At around midnight, the phone rang - it was Johanna sounding terrified. "Furniture was moving, couldn't open the door," Ralph Orth recalls his daughter saying. Inka, his wife, remembered the door was usually easy to open. "Johanna wasn't big, so we tried to calm her," Inka says. "But then the call ended."

The family tried to call back, but Johanna didn't answer. "Had she managed to open that door, she could've made it to the staircase," Inka laments.

"She was a dream of a child"

Johanna is one of the 136 flood victims of Rhineland-Palatinate - all we're left with are memories of their then 22-year-old daughter. "She was truly a dream come true," says her mother. Johanna was a clingy girl who hated disagreements and was always conscious of harmony. "She'd call us three to four times a day," Inka says. "We knew every emotion she felt."

"Already missed beyond words"

The family spent their last evening together before they flew to Mallorca on the day Johanna was supposed to join them. Unfortunately, she was attending a presence course. "If she had managed to open that front door, she wouldn't have been in Ahrtal," says Orth.

But it didn't happen that way. "Already missed beyond words," those words echo painfully in Inka's mind now.

"No action can reverse what happened"

Legal accountability has been a fight for the Orth family ever since the disaster. They've lodged complaints against the suspension of investigations, among other actions. "Despite submitting multiple reports, the investigations haven't been reopened," says Ralph Orth. "The past can't be undone, but establishing clear responsibility for future disasters is our goal."

Ralph Orth sees the public prosecutor's assessment as fatal: "It's just a natural event, done and dusted." He believes there are responsibilities attached.

"I still don't understand why there weren't evacuation plans," Inka says. "Human life should be the priority."

"Seeing these places is gut-wrenching, obviously"

Despite this, they still consider the Ahr valley their home. "We have our son, our house, Johanna's grave - that's ours, and we're there often," says the 61-year-old Ralph. "Visiting those places, where we have memories - it's painful. That's why spending time in Hamburg is comforting."

In their second home in Hamburg, they built a monument for Johanna. "We wanted to realize her dream of starting her own patisserie together. We imagined ourselves sitting there, watching her craft pralines, decorate beautiful cakes," says Inka. "We missed that dream." Johanna had chosen a storefront in Bad Neuenahr and planned the business, but then the flood came.

The Orths have kept Johanna's dream alive, opening a patisserie named "Patisserie Johanna" in Hamburg since late 2024.

Do they have hopes for the future? Ralph says, "I wish more people cared about what truly matters in life. We can rely on the state, but when protection isn't there, it becomes clear - as we experienced firsthand, with the worst possible tragedy, losing a child amid such a disaster."

He hopes more people will care. "Because it can happen to anyone, anytime."

• The Orth family has been advocating for clear employment policies in community disaster management to prevent future tragedies, as they believe there should be a focus on human life.
• Johanna's parents have emphasized the importance of mental health policies in the community, focusing on the needs of those who have experienced loss and trauma.
• In light of the Ahrtal flood disaster, the Orth family has advocated for a more comprehensive health-and-wellness policy that includes measures to ensure the safety of families and communities during natural disasters.
• The fight for justice for Johanna has led the Orth family to call for improved safety measures in flood-prone areas, including the development of employment policies that prioritize disaster preparedness.
• In the wake of the disaster, the Orth family has called for stronger crime-and-justice policies to hold those responsible accountable and prevent future incidents of negligence and misconduct.

Read also: