2023-08-05 17:46:00
- In the Styria and Carinthia around 2,500 firefighters were on duty on Saturday, a total of around 5,000 people.
- The two state governments and the federal government secured quick help to. It goes from “continuous rain to showers”, it was said in Styria.
- As expected, there have already been extensive traffic jams and closures.
- The rain emphasis shifted to the north side of the Alps on Saturday. Record amounts of rain were registered in some places in Austria.
- For the Salzkammergut A heavy rain warning had been issued. You can read the forecast for Upper Austria here.
- The state governments in Carinthia and Styria as well as the federal government promised quick help. Federal President Alexander Van der Bellen spoke up on Friday night: “Take care of each other”
- The situation in Slovenia remains critical, and preparations are also being made for floods in Croatia.
- Video: The situation in Carinthia, Styria and Burgenland calmed down a bit on Saturday followingnoon. The worst scenarios and forecasts did not materialize. The damage caused in the affected areas is enormous.
situation has stabilized
In the Carinthian districts of Wolfsberg and Völkermarkt, endangered buildings were evacuated and flood protection elements were set up. The situation was also critical for some time in Viktring, a southern suburb of the provincial capital of Klagenfurt. According to city communications, the situation has now been stabilized here. However, the civil defense warning here was renewed as a precaution. The dam at Treimischer Teich was relieved in good time, thus preventing flooding in the district. The Rekabach is also stable, as is the situation at the Hallegg ponds. There was also a power cut in Viktring, which is why some shops in the center closed. The authorities of the state capital pointed out that the sewer system was at the limit of its capacity. The population was asked not to pump water into the canals.
People were brought to safety in Lavamünd, two campsites on Gösselsdorfer See and Turnersee and in the Ferlach village of Waidisch. In Carinthia, civil defense warnings were issued for nine communities in the Völkermarkt and Wolfsberg districts, and civil defense alarms in the communities of St. Paul im Lavanttal and Loibach. In numerous places in Lower Carinthia, slopes slid down and roads were laid. The Red Cross in the St. Veit district, together with the fire brigade, evacuated up to 50 people from the St. Filippen area. These are accommodated in a nearby inn, a crisis intervention team was ready.
The rain on Saturday night was not quite as heavy as feared – according to the weather reports in some parts of Styria and Carinthia in the morning it had changed to light rain or drizzle. Around 2,500 firefighters and 120 army soldiers were on duty, supported by a 70-strong disaster relief team from the fire brigade from Lower Austria.
According to information from Saturday, the Lower Austrian fire brigade association sent “four more large pumps to Carinthia on request”. It is equipment from the FF Brunn am gebirge, Markt Piesting, St. Pölten Stadt and Neunkirchen Stadt. Five pumps had already been transported to the southern federal state on Friday. Helpers from Amstetten, Brunn am gebirge, Horn, Markt Piesting, Laa ad Thaya, Neunkirchen Stadt, St. Pölten Stadt, Rutzendorf and Weitra Stadt are on duty.
Despite all the operations, there was still time for cross-border relief operations: in Mežica, Slovenia, the crew of an emergency doctor vehicle from the Völkermarkt district helped. The rescue workers were able to bring a 14-day-old baby safely to the Klagenfurt clinic together with his mother.
Disaster alert in 15 communities in Styria
In Styria, there was a civil defense warning for the districts of Deutschlandsberg, Leibnitz and Southeast Styria, and there was now a disaster alarm in 15 Styrian communities. During the night of Saturday, among other things, 27 residents of a retirement home in Leibnitz had to be evacuated, as did the head of the state’s civil protection department, Harald Eitner, during a briefing for LH Christopher Drexler (ÖVP) and LHStv. Anton Lang (SPÖ) announced. Two emergency sleeping places were set up for evacuees in Leibnitz and Gosdorf, with 120 and 100 places respectively, according to the head of the state warning center, Günter Hohenberger. A Red Cross field kitchen was set up in Leibnitz. In Styria, the federal army has been on an assistance mission with around 120 soldiers since Friday evening.
According to the state’s flood coordinator, Christoph Schlacher, almost all of the 19 affected retention basins in south-eastern Styria are full. In the south-west of Styria, ten of the 30 retention basins are “full of water”. Of the rivers, only the Sulm has so far reached the red high water mark. “There are signs of relaxation”, although the bad situation is not over yet. The weather situation is likely to change now, there are some indications that a traffic jam might develop over the Ausseerland.
According to Hohenberger, the “enemy” is a Genoa depression that is moving across the greater area of north-eastern Italy, Slovenia and Carinthia and Styria. “Fortunately, the forecasts for large amounts of precipitation on Saturday night did not come true. Yesterday we had up to 170 liters of rain per square meter in some areas of southern Styria, now 30 to 50 liters have come,” said the LWZ boss. “At the moment it looks as if we are going from constant rain to showers,” said Hohenberger. These amounts of rain also applied to Carinthia, where record precipitation of up to 200 liters per square meter fell in some places on Friday.
The two Styrian provincial leaders, Drexler and Lang, emphasized the incredible performance of the emergency services, especially the firefighters. “We can only be glad that we have such a strong support from society with these,” said Drexler. SPÖ-LHStv. Lang said: “Yesterday we were worried regarding the threat of more heavy rain, thank God that didn’t happen that way. The country will help quickly and unbureaucratically,” assured Lang and Drexler.
Money from the Disaster Fund
The federal government announced on Saturday that it would provide money from the disaster fund for the regions hit by the floods. Chancellor Karl Nehammer (ÖVP) said: “The people in the affected regions can rely on us.” Vice Chancellor Werner Kogler: “The devastating storms in the south of the country show us the force with which the climate crisis is also affecting Austria.” According to Finance Minister Magnus Brunner (ÖVP), “sufficient financial resources are available from the disaster fund”.
Carinthia’s LH Peter Kaiser and civil protection officer Daniel Fellner (both SPÖ) welcomed the government’s announcement. “It is now important to quickly take stock and find out where federal funds can be used to help the hard-hit population,” Kaiser and Fellner agreed. The state is also doing everything possible to support those affected in all areas as best as possible. The Carinthian state crisis team met for the fourth time in the late followingnoon.
Relaxation in Burgenland
In southern Burgenland, the situation has eased following the recent rainfall. In the districts of Jennersdorf, Güssing and Oberwart, according to the state security center (LSZ), some operations were still underway, which concerned pumping work, for example. The levels would drop. Only small amounts of precipitation are to be expected, said an LSZ spokesman. The army supported the forces with around 140 soldiers from the Güssing barracks. They helped the local fire brigades in the district town and along the Strem into the night to set up flood barriers and fill the sandbags required for this.
Another fatality in Slovenia
In Slovenia, many parts of the country were hit by catastrophic floods, including suburbs of the capital Ljubljana. The situation in the Koroška region in the immediate vicinity of the flood plains of Carinthia and Styria was particularly critical.
more on the subject
Floods in Slovenia claimed more lives
1691262299
#Heavy #rain #situation #southern #Austria #slightly #relaxed
