The floods in Lower Austria have claimed two more lives. According to police spokesman Johann Baumschlager on Monday, a 70-year-old and an 80-year-old died in their homes. The death of a firefighter on duty in Rust in the Tullnerfeld in the municipality of Michelhausen (Tulln district) was already announced on Sunday.
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Lower Austria “in disaster mode”: Hundreds of people rescued
Baumschlager reported the death of a 70-year-old man in Untergrafendorf in the municipality of Böheimkirchen (district of St. Pölten-Land) and an 80-year-old man in Höbersdorf in the market town of Sierndorf (district of Korneuburg). Both men fell victim to the floodwaters inside residential buildings.
Lower Austria is “still in crisis mode,” said Governor Johanna Mikl-Leitner (ÖVP) on Monday morning after another briefing in Tulln. She pointed out that heavy rainfall was again forecast. The situation was “very tense, very critical.” The governor appealed to the population to refrain from unnecessary journeys in order not to endanger themselves and not to hinder the security forces. “It remains critical, it remains dramatic.”
Emergency services perform superhuman feats
The police had already issued an urgent appeal “for good reason” to “observe existing driving bans and closures in connection with the flood situation throughout Lower Austria and not to drive vehicles into closed danger areas”. The instructions of the emergency services were “to be followed without fail”. Last but not least, the Lower Austria State Police Directorate explicitly pointed out “that the flooded rivers continue to pose a life-threatening situation”.
The emergency services are doing superhuman work, said state vice-president Stephan Pernkopf (ÖVP). There are twelve dam breaks in the state, and dam guards are being reinforced. Up to another 80 liters of rain per square meter could fall in some places by Tuesday morning, but the soil is completely saturated. 13 communities were inaccessible on Monday morning, and 1,800 properties were evacuated. Many of those affected have found shelter with relatives. 170 people have required organized accommodation.
State fire brigade commander Dietmar Fahrafellner described the area of the Lower Austria sports centre in St. Pölten as another hotspot for operations alongside Hadersdorf am Kamp (Krems-Land district). Black Hawk helicopters should continue to drop “big packs”. There are thousands of objects that need to be pumped out. Work will begin in the regions where the water is receding. In some districts, clean-up work can already begin together with the Federal Army. Almost 800 people have been rescued, including by helicopter.
Disruptions and delays, but “no massive traffic jams”
There were obstructions and delays in the morning hours, but “no massive traffic jams,” reported an ÖAMTC spokesperson. The southern motorway (A2) had been open to traffic again since early in the morning. Several on- and off-ramps to motorways and expressways as well as numerous federal and state roads remained impassable. There were also problems with public transport. The western section of the railway between St. Valentin and Vienna remained closed.
From the Ottenstein reservoir, where the flood gates of the dam were lowered on Sunday afternoon, the controlled discharge of 130 cubic meters of water per second was increased “in coordination with the authorities” to around 250, EVN spokesman Stefan Zach announced on Monday morning. During the night, a further 2.5 million cubic meters were stored with an inflow of up to 330 cubic meters per second. Zach estimated the free volume in the Waldviertel reservoir at six million cubic meters for the time being. On Friday, it was still 32 million.
The all-clear was given for the city of Krems on Monday and clean-up work began. In the morning, the civil defense alarm was lifted due to falling water levels in the Danube and Krems. “Throughout the day, the water levels will rise again, but there is no longer any danger of flooding,” the city council announced.
Meanwhile, a wave of aid for those affected by the floods has been launched. Hypo NOE Landesbank is providing 100,000 euros in emergency aid. The Lower Austrian Chamber of Labor referred to its disaster relief in a press release. Affected members will receive up to 1,000 euros to help repair damage to houses and apartments.
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What caused the recent floods in Lower Austria?
Lower Austria Floods Claim Two More Lives, Death Toll Rises to Three
The devastating floods in Lower Austria have claimed two more lives, bringing the total death toll to three. According to police spokesman Johann
