Dangerous situation
Brienz: Boulders are rolling towards a Swiss mountain village – now the residents have to go
Watch the video: Boulders roll towards the Swiss mountain village of Brienz – residents have to go.
The small town of Brienz in the canton of Graubünden in eastern Switzerland is idyllically situated. Normally, the slightly more than 80 inhabitants can enjoy the fresh air and the peace and quiet here. But that’s over for now. Because large boulders roll towards the mountain village. It is still unclear what they will do. The situation is so threatening that the local authorities have ordered the evacuation of the place. By Friday, all residents must be out of Brienz, which is about 25 kilometers from Davos as the crow flies. Because the threat from the rocks has recently become acute. The rock masses above the village are said to have moved more than twice as fast as just a few weeks ago: Christian Gartmann, spokesman for the community: “The entire region is moving at a rate of one or a little more or less meters per year. But it has been for 15,000 years , as the glaciers retreated. What we are seeing right now is a package of about two million cubic meters of rock that was moving very quickly and became unstable. It is therefore a danger to the village.” The inhabitants of Brienz have known about the danger from the mountains for a long time. The fact that the evacuation is now taking place is still difficult for many to bear and involves a lot of effort. The people here must expect not to be able to return to their own houses or apartments for several weeks or even months. “The decision to evacuate the village now wasn’t a total shock for them. But the moment when the mayor comes and says you have to get out of your home, you have to go and you don’t know exactly how long that is Of course it’s a shock. And that’s a very heavy burden for the people. I’m really excited about the calmness and consistency with which they now accept this fate and move away from this village by Friday evening.” It is unclear whether and how much rock mass could hit Brienz. People can only hope that the church and its houses will still be standing when they are allowed to come back.
Above the Swiss mountain village of Brienz, two million cubic meters of rock are sliding down the slope at increasing speed. It’s getting too dangerous for the residents now, they have to leave.
Huge rock masses threaten the mountain village of Brienz in Switzerland. The situation has deteriorated to such an extent that the 80 or so residents will have to relocate this week. On Tuesday evening, the local authorities informed the residents about the details. The village in Graubünden must be cleared by Friday 6 p.m. It is about 25 kilometers as the crow flies southwest of Davos at an altitude of about 1100 meters and should not be confused with the better-known Brienz, not far from Interlaken on Lake Brienz.
Up to two million cubic meters of rock material are in motion above the village, reported the head of the early warning service, Stefan Schneider. According to the measurements, the rock masses are moving more than twice as fast as just a few weeks ago. The SRF news showed an impressive time-lapse video in the evening, in which the movement of the huge rock masses could be seen.
Switzerland: rock masses threaten mountain village
The region has been in motion for centuries. The village itself has been sliding towards the valley at a rate of around one meter per year for the past 20 years. It has been known for years that the rocky area called “Island” above the village is dangerous. Residents have known for a long time that eviction was imminent. The fact that the decision was made now also has something to do with the weather forecast, said Simon Löw, professor emeritus for engineering geology at the University of ETH Zurich, on Swiss television. Rain is forecast every day until Sunday, which could increase the speed of the slide.
It is unclear whether rubble and rubble hit the village. That is unlikely, said Löw. “But in the most extreme case (…) there can be a landslide. That’s something where the slope thunders down at a speed of 100 to 200 kilometers per hour, is in the village in 30 seconds and destroys the village.”
Climate change is making rockfalls more likely in some areas, such as where permafrost is thawing, debris and boulders are losing footing, or water is entering crevices and pressure is blowing off pieces of rock. According to Löw, this does not play a role in Brienz. There is no thawing permafrost and no connection has been established between annual precipitation and the flow rate of the terrain.