The storms at the weekend caused some devastating damage in Upper Bavaria and Swabia. Some of the clean-up work will take months. In Bad Bayersoien in the Upper Bavarian district of Garmisch-Partenkirchen, the support of emergency services from other districts is necessary, according to the joint statement from the district and the municipality on Sunday. District administrator Anton Speer (free voters) have therefore declared the disaster. Storm and massive hail severely damaged 80 percent of the buildings in the town on Saturday afternoon.
Almost all houses in Bad Bayersoien damaged
Hailstones the size of tennis balls completely covered over 100 roofs in Bad Bayersoien, and another 200 were severely damaged. Even cars parked outside were demolished by the force of the huge hailstones. The 1,300 residents of the community were apparently unharmed.
A central measure of the fire brigade, the mountain rescue service and the technical relief organization (THW) is now the securing and sealing of the roofs in the place. Emergency roofs were requested to be transported to Bad Bayersoien from all over Bavaria.
Kissing: Twelve injured when building a beer tent
Were in Kissing near Augsburg twelve people injured, when they set up a beer tent. Six of them suffered serious injuries, police said. A gust of wind caught the tent and about 30 people tried to hold it down.
Also in Kissing, the storm torn off the roof of a retirement home and threw debris onto cars in the parking lot in front. According to the Bavarian Red Cross, around 100 senior citizens had to be brought to safety. The ceiling of a Kissingen supermarket also collapsed, leaving the market under water, residents of BR24 reported. Hailstones also injured pedestrians. The ice had to be cleared from the sidewalks with snow shovels. Numerous basements filled up and some trees fell on parked cars.
Devastation in Benediktbeuern
In Benediktbeuern there is the same picture of destruction: around 80 percent of the houses were damaged by large hailstones, according to district fire officer Erich Zengele – including the monastery. There the shingles were centimeters high in the inner courtyard, and numerous helpers were currently trying to cover the holes. The roofs of the Basilica, Anastasia Chapel and above the Baroque Hall would have priority.
The local school has also been severely affected. It is still unclear whether a regular start of school can take place in two weeks. In Arzbach, south of Bad Tölz, the clean-up work after the storms is also in full swing.
Fallen trees and towed sailboats
At the Rosenheim Autumn Festival, the marquee was under water. In the district of Pfaffenhofen, the power went out in several communities after a tree fell into a high-voltage line. According to the district office, around 3,000 households were without electricity. In Kammer near Traunstein, a crane fell on a residential building.
According to the Bavarian Red Cross, several electric and sailing boats had to be towed or salvaged on Lake Chiemsee.
Aquaplaning accidents
The masses of rain caused aquaplaning on some of the roads in Bavaria and thus accidents. A 22-year-old driver was seriously injured on federal highway 2 near Roth in Central Franconia when his car skidded on the wet road and crashed into a tree.
With material from dpa and AFP