Ulrike Mohrs discusses Ahr Valley flood response and new agency role

Ulrike Mohrs, the new head of the Regional Directorate for Rhineland-Palatinate and Saarland of the Federal Employment Agency, has reflected on her involvement during the catastrophic Ahr Valley floods. While serving as the Mayor of Koblenz from 2018 to 2026, Mohrs supported staff at the overwhelmed integrated control center during the disaster.

Testifying before a parliamentary inquiry, Mohrs described the intensity of the night, noting that over 5,100 emergency calls were received from the Ahrweiler district alone. These calls triggered more than 3,000 fire department deployments, representing one-third of a typical year's total operations. She recounted witnessing the extreme distress of residents and helping people understand how to reach safety on rooftops as houses were swept away.

Having recently transitioned to her role at the Federal Employment Agency on July 1, Mohrs, a CDU politician, described the agency as her professional home. She aims to focus on connecting people with employment and addressing labor market challenges in her new leadership capacity.