In Lower Austria, further municipalities were declared disaster areas on Saturday evening. “In Waldviertel in particular, river levels are currently rising massively, in some cases already on the scale of a 100-year flood event,” said Deputy Governor Stephan Pernkopf (ÖVP). The same extent of flooding must also be expected in Kamp. Evacuations were underway. Around 4,750 firefighters were deployed to over 640 operations.
A total of 42 municipalities or cadastral communities in the districts of Zwettl, Horn, Krems, Tulln and Gmünd were declared disaster areas due to the risk of flooding. “Precautionary evacuations are already underway in the municipalities and are being supported by the fire brigade, the Red Cross and other organizations,” reported Pernkopf. In Gars am Kamp there are around 80 buildings in the disaster area, and evacuations will take place, said Mayor Martin Falk (ÖVP) according to ORF. In addition, 125 patients from a rehabilitation clinic were sent home. On Friday evening, the first residents in several municipalities had already had to leave their homes. Garden settlements and second homes were affected.
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Photo gallery: Floods: State of emergency in Lower Austria
(Photo: HELMUT FOHRINGER (APA)) Bild 1/20
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“Widespread rainfall throughout Lower Austria, particularly in the Waldviertel, is leading to tense situations,” explained Pernkopf in the evening. The region on the Kamp is particularly affected, but in the past few hours, for example, Lainsitz and Braunaubach have also been affected, where a 100-year flood is also to be expected. “For this reason, other communities must be declared disaster areas. The district administrators are coordinating the operations on site together with the fire brigade and rescue organisations, and precautionary evacuations have been underway in the Kamp communities since the afternoon,” said the state vice-president. Levels of a 30-year flood were expected on the Danube, in the Weinviertel and in the Mostviertel, “locally well above that,” said Pernkopf.
“Over the past twelve hours, there has been widespread over-rainfall in large parts of the country, in some cases up to 70 millimeters. Hydrologists expect further widespread rainfall during the night, with the intensity decreasing over the course of Sunday,” said Pernkopf. According to calculations, on Sunday “the storage capacity in Ottenstein will be exhausted” on the Kamp. An overflow of the reservoir was predicted.
Four disaster relief service trains are to be deployed on Sunday in the flood-affected areas along the Kamp. The KHD trains are to be deployed “to help with the extensive security and evacuation measures in the Krems district,” said state fire brigade commander Dietmar Fahrafellner.
Image: APA/FF HADERSDORF AM KAMP
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Image: APA/FF HADERSDORF AM KAMP
“The coming hours will be the hour of truth for flood protection and a massive test of endurance for our emergency services and numerous compatriots,” said Governor Johanna Mikl-Leitner (ÖVP) after the situation briefing of the state’s administrative command staff in the morning at the Tulln Security Center: “Especially in the Waldviertel, we expect challenges of historic proportions.” Another situation briefing followed by a press statement is planned for Sunday morning.
During the night into Saturday, the situation “intensified,” reported Klaus Stebal, spokesman for the state command. Initially, the helpers were alerted mainly because of storm damage, but during the course of the day numerous flood operations were added. Mobile protection systems were set up in several communities, for example along the Danube in the Wachau. In total, members of 427 fire departments were deployed on Saturday.
In the Krems district, around 80 fire brigades were deployed to carry out safety measures on the Kamp and to set up flood protection along the Danube. In the afternoon, a flood alarm was triggered on the Krems river. In addition, cellars had to be pumped out and blockages removed. In the Gmünd district, 70 fire brigades with 400 members were deployed to protect buildings using sandbags and sealing. In Horn, safety work had to be carried out along the Kamp, Thaya and Taffa. 50 fire brigades with 603 members were deployed.
“It will get worse,” said Stebal, especially along the Kamp. The situation was very tense on Saturday afternoon along the river in Zwettl. The Kamp had already overflowed its banks in several places, and water had also entered some buildings. In Hadersdorf am Kamp (Krems-Land district), further preparatory measures were underway on Saturday. Holiday homes directly on the Kamp were evacuated on Friday, reported fire chief Christoph Firlinger. The Waidhofen an der Thaya district was also badly affected, with over 50 fire departments with more than 400 members involved in flood operations.
In the St. Pölten district, 89 fire brigades with 1,376 members were deployed to deal with storms. Flooding also occurred in the Hollabrunn district. In Göllersdorf, the Göllersbach overflowed its banks and flooded several houses and businesses. There were power outages in some communities in the state. In the Klosterneuburg area (Tulln district), for example in the cadastral community of Kritzendorf, the Danube overflowed its banks and in Scheibbs the Erlauf overflowed its banks. In the Amstetten district and in the south of the state, the fire brigade was mainly called out to storm operations.
Two disaster relief teams were called in on Saturday: One team from the Hollabrunn district temporarily secured the Langenlois substation (Krems-Land district) using a mobile flood protection system and sandbags. Submersible pumps were also put in place. Another team from the Gföhl area supported the fire brigade in securing house driveways along the Loisbach, among other things.
