210 storm operations:

The catastrophe failed to materialize

The Leiblach was "overflowing".

(Bild: Maurice Shourot)

The emergency services in Vorarlberg have had an eventful night. Due to the heavy rain, they have had to deploy 210 times so far. The situation was particularly dicey at times on the Leiblach. In Hörbranz, the evacuation of several residential buildings was only narrowly avoided. The situation has since eased.

Flooded cellars and underpasses, landslides, blocked roads - the immense amounts of rainfall have left their mark in Vorarlberg. However, there is no question of a disaster scenario.

All-clear at night
Those who live in the immediate vicinity of the Leiblach experienced anxious hours. The German-Austrian border river was at times at a level equivalent to a 100- to 300-year flood. On Sunday night, there were even plans to evacuate the houses near the Hörbranz sports field - emergency accommodation with sleeping places had already been set up in the local gymnasium.

In Hörbranz, several houses near the sports field almost had to be evacuated.

(Bild: Maurice Shourot)

However, when the rainfall subsided at around 3 a.m., the Leiblach level dropped by around one meter within an hour, so the all-clear could be given. This was due not least to the efforts of the fire department: two high-performance pumps were used to pump out the water that had accumulated on the sports field, and barriers made of sandbags prevented the water from entering the surrounding houses.

Powerful infrastructure, reliable and competent fire departments 
Since the onset of the heavy rain, the rescue and fire department control center has counted around 210 deployments so far, with around 90 percent in the district of Bregenz, particularly in Leiblachtal. Once again it has been shown that Vorarlberg is very well prepared for such extreme weather events. There are two main reasons for this: Firstly, the well-developed infrastructure, with the high-performance and excellently maintained sewerage network being the first to be mentioned.

And secondly, you can rely on the volunteer fire departments in the Ländle. It was impressive how quickly they reacted to the hotspots in the Leiblachtal: forces and equipment from other municipalities in the Vorarlberg lowlands were requested at an early stage, sandbags were laid, artificial barricades were erected and pumps were set up - one cog in the wheel meshed with the other, the left hand knew what the right was doing. In short: thanks to an excellent organizational structure, the Vorarlberg fire departments act as an organic whole in an emergency. The crisis communication must also be praised: all the necessary information was available on the state's website in virtually real time, and the responsible departments communicated objectively and precisely without spreading even a hint of panic.

The crisis teams did a brilliant job.

(Bild: Maurice Shourot)

The situation was worse in neighboring Germany
A comparison with the neighboring southern German region also shows how well disaster control is set up in Vorarlberg: although the Leiblachtal and Bregenzerwald regions recorded some of the highest levels of precipitation in the metropolitan area, the consequences were far less drastic than in the neighboring German regions. In Meckenbeuren, for example, which is only 30 kilometers from the Vorarlberg border, 1,300 people were called upon to leave their homes. In the directly adjacent district of Lindau, several houses also had to be evacuated, and parts of the sewage system were at times completely overwhelmed by the amount of rain.

Rainfall throughout the country
The heavy rainfall affected not only the Lake Constance region, but the entire country. In most cases, the fire departments had to pump out flooded cellars, underpasses and underground garages. Smaller landslides or mudslides also occurred - including a landslide in Alberschwende which displaced a side road.

A road in Alberschwende was displaced by a landslide on Saturday morning.

(Bild: Maurice Shourot)

Although it will continue to rain in the coming hours, the situation in Vorarlberg should ease increasingly. The precautionary partial closure of the Rhine forelands should also be lifted in the coming hours.