Bridges torn away

Severe thunderstorms moved across Styria

The fire department was in constant action during the night

(Bild: Thomas Zeiler)

Severe thunderstorms swept across parts of Styria on Thursday evening. The districts of Voitsberg and Murtal were particularly affected. In the municipality of Krottendorf-Gaisfeld, a civil defense alert even had to be issued - but it was lifted again in the morning.

Once again, severe thunderstorms caused massive problems in Styria on Friday night. From around 8 p.m., a powerful thunderstorm cell moved across the country, affecting the districts of Voitsberg and Murtal in particular.

Even a bridge was washed away
Parts of the municipality of Krottendorf-Gaisfeld were hit the hardest. Massive flooding occurred there and parts of the village were inaccessible because the roads were so flooded. "The Teigitsch already had a very high level before the storm, but when the rain came and the water from the hinterland arrived, it was too much," reports Mayor Lukas Vogl. "The entire center of Krottendorf was under water. There was also a lot of flooding in Gaisfeld due to blockages," reports the mayor.

During the night, individual settlements were inaccessible, bridges were washed away and roads were badly damaged. A civil defense alert was therefore issued and the population was called upon to avoid underground car parks, cellars, underpasses and riverbanks due to the risk of flooding. At around 8.45 a.m., however, the mayor was able to give the all-clear: "We have reached all citizens, nobody was injured here." The civil defense alert was therefore lifted again. "Now the clean-up work begins, which will keep us busy for a long time," says Vogl. 

People rescued throughout the district
It was not only in Krottendorf-Gaisfeld that the emergency services had to go out to rescue people. "Several people were trapped in their cars and houses in the Voitsberg district," reports the Styrian fire department control center.

A total of 20 people had to be rescued - one of them (in Maria Lankowitz) was also injured and had to be taken to hospital by the Red Cross. 

The disaster was declared by the Voitsberg district authority for the municipalities of Edelschrott, Maria Lankowitz, Krottendorf-Gaisfeld, St. Martin am Wöllmißberg and the municipality of Voitsberg. In addition to the hundreds of volunteer firefighters, Energie Steiermark, the road maintenance service of the province of Styria, geologists and water management experts are also working in the affected area. During the course of the morning, reconnaissance flights will be carried out by helicopters of the Austrian Armed Forces in order to be able to assess the situation more precisely. 

Governor Christopher Drexler then requested an assistance mission by the Austrian Armed Forces for the region. The army is now already deployed in the Teigitschgraben in the district of Voitsberg with 38 soldiers from the construction pioneer platoon of the Styrian military command in order to eliminate the first damaged areas. The main focus is currently on removing blockages in the streams.

Flooding in the Mur Valley too
However, other areas in Styria were also affected. The Murtal district in particular also experienced heavy rain and squalls. The hotspots were Spielberg and Kleinlobming: "In the municipality of Spielberg, there were several mudslides and flooding of cellars and underpasses," reports Thomas Zeiler from the fire department. There was also water around the Red Bull Ring, even the pit lane was flooded.

In Kleinlobming (municipality of Lobmingtal), there were also mudslides throughout the municipality. "In order to deal with the high number of operations, a command team was set up at the Spielberg fire station. 125 firemen and firewomen were busy clearing up until late into the night," reports Zeiler.

No all-clear yet
This morning, the clean-up work in the affected regions will continue and only then will the full extent of the damage be known. According to Energie Steiermark, there may also be power cuts in some areas. And meteorologists are not yet able to give the all-clear - storms are expected again today, especially in the north of Styria.