The decoration was awarded to all German military members , foreign armed service members , civilian rescue forces and civilians , who had collaborated with the flood disaster relief efforts in Germany in the summer of 2002 . It was approved for wear by the Minister of Defence , but was created by the Ministry of the Interior . The medal is awarded in the same class to all German soldiers regardless of rank . It is the only type of its kind in the German awards system . Some German federal states have created their own '' flood medals '' for its citizens , but The '' German Flood Service Medal 2002 '' is the first federally created flood decoration in Germany
flood disaster
2002 European floods
German Flood Service Medal (2002)