Plans are ready

Vienna’s professional fire department prepares for the rain roller

The masses of water in the coming days are likely to exceed even those of the floods in mid-August - but at least not in one go.

(Bild: Stadt Wien / Berufsfeuerwehr Wien)

Vienna's firefighters are preparing for tough days with four times as many deployments as on other days. They know: The coming heavy rainfall poses dangers for the population, even in places where it is not expected. It's about much more than "just" flooded cellars.

The emergency plans for heavy rain have been taken out of the drawers and Vienna's professional fire department is ready: it is expecting 400 to 500 alarms over the next few days instead of the usual 110 or so per day. Pumping out cellars is a "low priority", emphasizes the fire department. Such tasks are divided into blocks of operations so that they can be dealt with as quickly as possible and in one go.

Obvious and less obvious dangers
Tight organization is doubly important on days with heavy rainfall: even more fires than on normal days are to be expected because water ingress leads to malfunctions in electrical systems. More people than usual also have to be rescued from elevators because circuits are paralyzed by water. Accordingly, one of the fire department's tips to the public is to avoid the elevator if possible if they notice water entering the building.

Apart from the obvious, such as closing the windows (and above all not forgetting the cellar and attic), the fire department also believes that heavy rain poses the same dangers as a storm. "A tree that is well rooted in dry ground does not necessarily have to do the same in soaked ground," warns the fire department. Under no circumstances should you walk towards the water, even if your car is flooded in a parking lot.

200 liters

On Saturday, around 200 liters of precipitation per square meter are expected in the west of the city. In the east, it is expected to be slightly less at 100 to 150 liters.

Blue light as a permanent condition
Precisely because of the exceptional situation, however, there will be fewer firefighters per vehicle on the road on average over the next few days - but this is so that all the more routine operations can be carried out at the same time, and with twice as many blue lights per journey: "increased operational readiness" applies. This means that the operational status is also maintained on the journey back to the fire station so that they are ready for the next alarm even faster.

Gusts of up to 100 km/h expected on Saturday
The heavy rain will reach its peak at the weekend: From Friday, the rain will be persistent and also increasingly heavy. The wind will become increasingly intense and is expected to reach speeds of up to 70 km/h. Most of the rain is expected in the Vienna Woods, while it may temporarily become drier in the east of Vienna. The wind will then pick up again on Saturday. Heavy squalls are to be expected, with winds of up to 100 km/h in places.

As the trees are still leafy, they can topple over more easily and branches can break off. And: the rain will also intensify. It will feel like a storm on the North Sea, according to Ubimet. The Waluliso Bridge and the Copa footbridge on the New Danube have already been closed due to the expected masses of water. The weather is expected to continue on Sunday. There is a threat of stormy conditions with widespread rain. Temperatures: very cool for the time of year. Highs are only expected to be between 10 and 11 degrees.