250 operations

Storm clouds over Carinthia: lido closed

Road closure: On Theklagrabenstraße in Wolfsberg, part of the road was washed under and away. The fire department, local authorities and the torrent and avalanche control authorities are trying to reconnect all residents to the public road network.(Bild: Pressestelle Stadt Wolfsberg)

Severe storms had already hit Carinthia on Friday night, and heavy rain and gusts of wind continued to challenge the emergency services on Friday evening. The clean-up work continued on Saturday. Kelag still has to reconnect around 1,300 households to the power grid. 

Flooded cellars and mudslides - these were the effects of the storms on Friday night. So people throughout Carinthia were also cautious on Friday evening. When the wind picked up over Lake Wörthersee in the afternoon, some people became restless again.

After the storm in Wolfsberg: a lot of damage was also caused to the roads.(Bild: Pressestelle Stadt Wolfsberg)

The first concrete step was taken at around 4 p.m. on Friday. The Klagenfurt lido announced that it would be closing early due to the weather.

The severe weather warnings from Ubimet did not bode well either. Severe storms with thunderstorms and hail were forecast for the districts of Wolfsberg, St. Veit and Feldkirchen, while "only" normal storms were forecast for the remaining districts. Only in the west of the country did the situation appear to be less drastic.

Troubled swell on Lake Wörthersee(Bild: zVg)

250 operations
By around 5 p.m., the Carinthia State Alarm and Warning Center, which coordinates firefighting operations throughout Carinthia, was already very busy. "In the last four to five hours, the fire departments had to respond to 250 call-outs," explained Hans-Jörg Rossbacher, Head of Department at the LAWZ. "The main problem was the storm fronts that moved across the entire province and the strong winds."

Surfers in distress
While trees were blown down by the wind throughout Carinthia, it led to joint operations with the water rescue service on the Carinthian lakes. "It was mainly surfers and stand-up paddlers who couldn't make it to shore and were in distress," Rossbacher continues. "Most of the operations were on Lake Faak, Lake Wörthersee and Lake Keutschach." Wind speeds of 90 km/h were measured on Lake Wörthersee and the waves reached a height of one meter.

During the night of Friday, July 12, a flatbed truck was pushed against a bridge railing by the Waldensteiner Bach stream, which overflowed its banks, causing a blockage in the front area of the vehicle. A person trapped in the vehicle was rescued and brought to safety by the Preitenegg fire brigade under extremely difficult conditions.(Bild: FF Preitenegg)

Situation calmed for the time being
There were also incidents caused by lightning - one involving a farm building in Patergassen and one involving a ceiling fire. In addition, streams in the Lavanttal valley burst their banks and the wind damaged roofs. "For the time being, the fronts have passed and the situation has calmed down," says Hans-Jörg Rossbacher reassuringly. "There are still warnings for the night, but we are still ready."

ÖBB had to close the southern railway line between Friesach and Unzmarkt because fallen trees had damaged overhead lines and tracks and there was a risk of landslides. Until Sunday evening at 7 p.m., a bus is running as a rail replacement service. In addition, special long-distance trains are running between Unzmarkt and Bruck an der Mur as well as Friesach and Klagenfurt.

The Kelag fitters are mainly working in the Central Carinthia area to reconnect the last 1,300 households cut off from the power grid.