Before and after pictures

Flood: “All life ended up in a container”

Hartwig and Maria Tarkusch's house was hit particularly hard.

(Bild: Uta Rojsek-Wiedergut)

Almost the entire village center of Kühnsdorf was flooded in August 2023. Now, however, laughter has returned and reconstruction is underway! The "Krone" visited those affected. 

If you drive through Kühnsdorf today, there is hardly anything to suggest how badly the village in the municipality of Eberndorf was hit by the storm in August 2023. Flooded buildings, streets that resembled a river, a park that turned into a lake and numerous sandbags to prevent the worst from happening were just as much a part of the picture as the countless stunned faces of local residents.

Maria and Hartwig Tarkusch were hit particularly hard on that fateful August 5th. "Our house was completely under water. The masses of water came in through three doors at an unbelievable speed. On the first floor, the water reached just below our knees," the 74-year-old recalls with tears in her eyes, remembering the day that changed her life and the life of her husband massively.

Masses of inventory thrown away
"We threw away two large containers full of furniture, inventory of all kinds and even pictures we had painted ourselves, which had been with us for years. There hasn't been a day since the storm when we haven't cleared out. Even our beautiful old Mercedes, which we had in the garage and were so proud of, has been destroyed. You get the feeling that your whole life has ended up in a skip," says the couple, who can now look to the future again.

A total of 15 dehumidifiers and fans were still in operation at the Tarkusch home until a month ago. Only now can the painters and carpenters get to work on the walls and door frames. "We would also like to thank the 'Krone', which has supported us right from the start," says the couple, who are now looking forward to the upcoming Easter celebrations.