Tidying up the flood: "We need men and other shoes!"

The hairdresser Heinz-Peter Hammer lost his salon in Bad Neuenahr in the floods - but giving up is not an option for him and his colleagues

The hairdresser's business is currently working in containers

Bad Neuenahr/Oeverich. Wadenheimer Platz in the heart of Bad Neuenahr is a place of conviviality. The residents of the spa town can sit there on a bench next to a flower bed and let their feet and soul dangle. Right next door, Heinz-Peter Hammer cuts his customers' hair in his salon. It's very informal there, just like you imagine a hairdressing salon to be. The customers bring the small-town talk with them and Hammer has the styling to match. Colleague Melanie Schmickler and Hammer's daughters also lend a hand - the hairdressing trade is genetic in the family, Hammer's father already had scissors. The foreman's certificate from 1938 hangs neatly framed behind a pane of glass on the wall, the pride of boss Heinz-Peter. In the sixth generation, the Hammer family cuts people's hair.

On the night of July 15, the idyll was over. The high water rose to a height of 2.40 meters in the saloon. The street in front of it was "folded up like a sandwich," says Heinz-Peter Hammer. The force of the water had lifted the asphalt and practically stacked it on top of one another. Wadenheimer Platz is also badly damaged. No one suspected that the tide could have hit the salon at all. "We even had an interview until 7:30 p.m.," says Melanie Schmickler about the peace of mind at the time. Then it was back to Kripp, the home of the hairdressers and quite unstressed, as they say afterwards. "Well, the Ahr was just a bit high," says Schmickler. But you didn't get nervous, at least not the day before the high tide. However, when reports came in that the situation was getting worse and worse, Hammer and Schmickler had bad suspicions. The next morning they checked on the drawing room. "Everything was broken," says Hammer, emphasizing "everything". In fact, there was no longer any use for the furniture. They were piled up to the ceiling in the hairdressing team's lounge. There were some cherished decor materials in the salon: old powder puffs and straight razors from yesteryear – all gone. And then there was the mud. Heinz-Peter Hammer holds his hand to the middle of the shin. “The dirt was so high there,” he says. It quickly became clear to everyone: "We can't do it alone." The extent of the chaos was gigantic. Melanie Schmickler had only one thought in view of the destruction. "We need men and different shoes here." She laughs. Because after the flood she entered the completely broken salon with sneakers - a bit naïve as she admits. The footwear quickly changed to rubber boots. But master hairdresser Hammer sticks to it: one would not have expected such damage. That adds up to around 150,000 to 200,000 euros. Real hair pieces were particularly expensive. "They cost a lot of money," says Hammer. And it got even worse. The Salon Hammer has been in Bad Neuenahr since 2007. The Corona break was nerve-racking, but at least the standstill was used as an opportunity. The salon underwent a state-of-the-art renovation a year ago. "This will be my last salon," Hammer remembers the day he proudly opened the doors to customers. And today? Today everything is different, he says. Did he want to give up? "Clear. In view of the destruction, that went through our heads.” But then, while shoveling the mud, there was a special experience. Heinz-Peter Hammer got hold of something in the morass, something heavy made of glass. It was his father's framed master craftsman's certificate from 1938. "It was a moment that I can't describe," says the hairdresser. For me it was incredibly emotional. “At that point, I knew we would move on.” Before moving on, the decision was toasted. A piccolo was found somewhere and the fire brigade sprayed a full beer crate clean "so that the men also have something to drink," Melanie Schmickler recalls of what was probably the most important moment after the flood. Many helpers, neighbors, employees, friends and of course the members of the THW and the fire brigade helped with the clean-up. Two hairdressing consultants also supported Hammer in making a completely new start. "They are all great people, without whom we would never have made it." The hairdressing business initially started in Hammer's house in Kripp. All the tools and hair care products that were there were shipped there. Where else the family supper was served, there were now men's haircuts. After just a few days, operations could continue. The customers appreciated that. Many left a few euros more to help the salon that they had come to love restart. In mid-August, the plan for the future took off in leaps and bounds. The new location in Oeverich opened on August 16th. There are now two containers in which customers can have their hair washed, cut and blow-dried. The scene looks a bit like a camping holiday. The waiting area consists of a few camping chairs under a gazebo. Hammer and Schmickler are very grateful for the container. Because one of the most important helpers is the owner of the house in Bad Neuenahr. The salon landlord owns the area where the container is now parked. "We'll probably stay here until carnival or Easter," Hammer and Schmickler suspect. Because that's how long it will probably be before there is gas for heating again in Bad Neuenahr. But they want to go back there. Because: "Every new beginning is also an opportunity," says Heinz-Peter Hammer. ROB

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