Working Together to Prevent Storm Damage

The storm of June 23, 2021, did more than cause significant damage in and around Reutlingen. It also brought back bad memories of July 28, 2013, when several hundred people were injured and vehicles, building fronts, roofs, and solar panels were battered by hailstones – some of which were as big as tennis balls.

Although the Verein zur Hagelabwehr im Landkreis Reutlingen was set up in 2014 in response to the storm of the century, its cloud seeding aircraft was not able to take off until early July in 2021. This was because the aircraft that the association hires was grounded due to engine damage.

“This can’t happen again. That’s why we are so reliant on donations from companies and private individuals, as these will ensure our pilots and aircraft are always ready to go throughout the storm season from May till September,” says Gabriele Gaiser, First Chairperson of the Association.

Donating as a gesture of solidarity

As things currently stand, finance is in place for 80 deployment days in 2022. “This means we’re ready to go from the beginning of June till mid-August,” says Franz Eisele, the Association’s Treasurer. However, he also indicates that he hopes more donations will come in to further expand the potential deployment time.

The international RAMPF Group, based in Grafenberg, is playing a part in this by donating 5,000 euros to the Association.

Matthias Rampf, CEO of the RAMPF Group, explains – “For one thing, the Association’s work is very important for us as a company. After all, extreme weather can affect our production reliability and cause considerable damage to buildings and vehicles. On top of that, this is a way for us to show our solidarity with the people of the Reutlingen district. After all, the cloud seeding aircraft could have significantly reduced the damage caused by the storms in 2013 and 2021.”