New protection projects

Floods: Styria now wants millions from the federal government

The images of the flood disaster in June - here in Neudau in eastern Styria - will be remembered for a long time to come.

(Bild: BFVHB/Matthias Novacek)

Further flood protection measures in Styria are to be implemented quickly, especially in the areas that were recently hit hard. The province is hoping for up to an additional 20 million euros from the federal government and has sent a letter to Chancellor Nehammer. 

The shock after the flood disaster in Styria is still deep-seated. Clean-up and restoration work is continuing in the affected areas, particularly the Graz region and eastern Styria. "At the same time, however, we must also look to the future," said ÖVP provincial councillor Simone Schmiedtbauer at a press conference on Thursday with regard to urgent investments in protective measures.

Because one thing is certain: After the disaster is before the disaster. Such extreme weather events will come again, so-called floods of the century no longer seem to live up to their definition.

Deputy Mayor Erwin Arbesleitner (Deutschfeistritz), Mayor Franz Zehner (Großwilfersdorf), Mayor Manfred Schaffer (Bad Blumau), Provincial Councillor Simone Schmiedtbauer, Provincial Councillor Ursula Lackner, Mayor Karl Mayrhold (Raaba-Grambach), Mayor Michael Viertler (Deutschfeistritz) and Head of the Water Management Department Johann Wiedner (from left)

(Bild: Land Steiermark/Binder)

Protection projects in disaster areas have priority
The province of Styria invests around 55 million euros a year in protection measures, such as retention basins or the regulation of bodies of water. This pays off: on June 8 and 9, 49 of the 200 or so retention basins across Styria were completely or partially full. "We now want to spend an additional 20 million euros on projects in Eastern Styria and the area around Graz," says Schmiedtbauer. 

In order to implement the projects planned for the affected areas as quickly as possible, the province of Styria is now hoping for support from the federal government. The provincial governors sent a letter to this effect to Federal Chancellor Karl Nehammer this week, requesting additional funding for disaster control, as was the case in 2018 for the serious disaster in Gasen in Eastern Styria.

Planned projects

• Linear flood protection (e.g. protective walls, watercourse regulation) for Großwilfersdorf (8.6 million euros)
• Retention basin for Grafendorf (3.5 million euros)
• Bad Blumau retention basin (2.5 million euros)
• Linear flood protection for Raaba-Grambach (1.2 million euros)
• Linear flood protection and a retention basin for Übelbach and Deutschfeistritz (4 million euros)

Curbing construction in endangered zones 
"However, the province is not only investing in flood protection, but also in prevention," emphasized Ursula Lackner (SPÖ), State Councillor for the Environment, citing a newly adapted ordinance on the "Natural Hazards Program" as an example. This intervenes in spatial planning and is intended to restrict construction activity in critical, endangered flood zones. Areas subject to restrictions have been extended and new buildings are now prohibited without exception in so-called red zones. 

From the point of view of the mayors, who are constantly confronted with requests to build, this is certainly welcome, as the head of Deutschfeistritz, Michael Viertler, emphasizes: "When people want to build in yellow or red zones, for example, they often say: 'There has never been any flooding there. It helps if the state clearly states where building is not allowed."