storm
Floods in Austria – No relaxation yet
Fire brigade forces fight against the flooding in the area of Deutschlandsberg in Styria. photo
© BFVMZ/APA/dpa
Campsites have been cleared, people have been taken out of their homes by boat, slopes have slid down – southern Austria is fighting floods.
In the areas in the south that were already partly flooded after heavy rains Austria continued to pour during the night. The rain was initially less heavy than feared, but the fire brigade and authorities did not relax on Saturday morning.
In the southernmost state of Carinthia and in Styria, there was a risk of further flooding, and campsites were cleared. According to the broadcaster ORF, more than 2,500 firefighters and dozens of soldiers were deployed.
According to the authorities, a campsite on Lake Gösselsdorf and one on Lake Turnersee were at risk of flooding. Campers were sometimes housed in nearby school buildings. In the village of St. Paul im Lavanttal in Carinthia, 70 households were evacuated on Friday evening. In a southern suburb of the provincial capital of Klagenfurt am Wörthersee, a retention basin had to be pumped out because it was in danger of overflowing. In Lavamünd, completely soaked slopes began to slide and threatened residential buildings. In Leibnitz in Styria, a retirement home was evacuated as a precaution. In another town, people were picked up from their homes by boats and taken to safety.
On Saturday morning there were already large traffic jams due to holiday traffic, for example on the A11 in the Karawanken tunnel. Due to the storm, the alternative route over the Loibl Pass between Klagenfurt and Ljubljana was closed, as was part of the Slovenian A1 motorway, an important transit route for many holidaymakers in Croatia. According to the ORF, the route between Maribor and Trieste should remain partially interrupted until Sunday.
Weather warning for Austria