The steady rain begins

Lower Austria prepares for flooding

Fire departments across the country fill sandbags (symbolic image).

(Bild: APA/MARKUS LEODOLTER)

How bad will the coming days be? This question is currently being asked throughout Central Europe. The "Krone" asked how people in Lower Austria are preparing for the impending floods.

As of Thursday, 10 am. Moderate to light rain throughout the country, everything still looks like a normal autumn day. But the situation remains tense, as Stephan Pernkopf (ÖVP), the state vice-president responsible for the fire departments, emphasizes. "The current precipitation forecasts show 150 to 200 liters of rain per square meter by Monday morning, with a precipitation peak on Saturday." The peak runoff will be from Saturday to Sunday. There will also be gale-force gusts of wind.

This is what it looks like on the Danube
On the Danube in Lower Austria, hydrologists are expecting a "medium flood" of the categories HQ 5 to HQ 10 - as they occur every five to ten years. Pernkopf: "Depending on the regional weather situation, floods of up to HQ 30 can be expected on the tributaries, although flood events exceeding this level may also occur locally."

Flood index HQ

Flood (scientific/mathematical abbreviation HQ from "high" and discharge index Q) is the name given to the state of a body of water at which its water level is significantly higher than its mean water level. The number behind it shows how often (in years) such high water levels occur.

In any case, Lower Austria is preparing itself, and local fire departments and municipalities throughout the state are informing the population about the situation via all channels. "The expert and safety teams have come together at the provincial safety center in Tulln, calculate the latest forecasts and coordinate the construction of flood protection systems with the fire department emergency services," says Pernkopf.

Preparations along the Kamp
As reported, EVN has now increased the discharge volume of the Kamp reservoirs to 50 cubic meters per second in coordination with the authorities. For comparison: in summer - from June 15 to September 15 - the normal discharge is 3 cubic meters. Of course, this is currently leading to falling water levels along the Kamp. An expansion to 85 cubic meters has already been requested. "We will need the capacity to be able to cope with the expected flooding," explains EVN spokesman Stefan Zach. In any case, the forecasts show "considerable volumes of water".