Storm and heavy rain

Water overflows its banks! First evacuations in Lower Austria

Squalls are now on the increase, and from Saturday the heavy rain will also increase.

(Bild: APA/FF PURBACH)

Austria is on absolute alert, and the next few hours will be particularly critical: the situation is escalating dramatically, especially in the east. The first residents have had to leave their homes - and heavy squalls make it particularly dangerous to be outdoors.

Over the next few hours, the rain will subside somewhat, but now the storm is coming. Regional wind peaks of up to 110 km/h are possible, according to the Austrian Severe Weather Center on Friday evening. 

Particular caution is now required outdoors: "The trees are leafy and the ground is soft - not a good combination at these wind speeds."

A case from Burgenland shows what can happen. The strong gusts of wind there caused the fire department to be called out numerous times. In Purbach (Eisenstadt district), a huge tree fell onto a Postbus in the middle of the town center. Fortunately, the delivery driver was not in the vehicle and was uninjured.

Fortunately, there were no injuries.

(Bild: APA/FF PURBACH)

On Saturday morning, the heavy rain returned and gradually became heavier. The east of Austria is particularly affected. Accumulations of water and local flooding are to be expected, according to the St. Pölten fire department. If possible, people should avoid spending time outdoors. The next 48 hours are particularly critical.

By Tuesday, more than 300 liters of precipitation per square meter are predicted regionally: 

The first residents in Hadersdorf am Kamp (Lower Austria) have had to leave their homes. The Kamp has already overflowed its banks in various places, with the situation being exacerbated by the water still flowing out of the previously emptied reservoirs.

Precautionary measure in the second home area
According to the safety authorities, this is a precautionary measure in accordance with the alarm plan. The settlement, which is mainly home to second homes, is located in a flood-prone area and is frequently affected by flooding. As a precautionary measure, the owners were therefore advised to take their valuables to safety. The town itself is not yet flooded, but the situation is being closely monitored.

The water is already standing in the front gardens:

According to the authorities, there is a threat of a 100-year flood at Kamp. Mobile flood protection has been set up. In Zöbing, a cadastral municipality of Langenlois (Krems-Land district), several houses in a garden settlement have also already been evacuated

Helpers were deployed throughout Lower Austria. A total of 312 operations were recorded by the evening, 220 fire departments with 460 vehicles went into action. Due to persistent rainfall and storms, members were alerted in several districts, for example to carry out pumping work or remove fallen trees. The helpers are still on alert, emphasized spokesman Klaus Stebal from the regional command.

Chancellor holds crisis meeting
Federal Chancellor Karl Nehammer (ÖVP) held a briefing with experts at the Federal Chancellery on Friday evening and was in contact with Interior Minister Gerhard Karner (ÖVP) and Defense Minister Klaudia Tanner (ÖVP).

"Almost all federal states are currently affected by extreme rainfall, including snowfall in some cases. The coming days therefore represent an enormous challenge for all emergency services. Fire departments, civil defense, police and the army are on high alert to help wherever support is needed," said the Chancellery.

Please help!

The flood situation in the country is getting worse - the "Krone" with our large family of readers and Caritas want to help those affected by the storms quickly and unbureaucratically. Volunteers who want to lend a hand can register online at fuereinand.at.

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Flood hotline: [phone] (9 a.m. to 6 p.m.)

Nehammer has canceled the campaign events planned for the weekend. The Federal Chancellor will take part in a situation meeting of the State Crisis and Disaster Management (SKKM) with the state control centers at the Ministry of the Interior on Saturday afternoon.

City of Vienna activates flood protection
The employees of the City of Vienna are now also preparing for the impending floods - the city's flood protection is ready to respond to the situation accordingly. The good news: thanks to the Danube Island and the New Danube, Vienna is well prepared for large volumes of water.

For flood protection reasons, the two pontoon bridges over the New Danube, the Copa-Steg and the Waluliso Bridge, were already retracted before the weekend.

(Bild: Andi Schiel)

According to the flood control center MA 45, the flood control center in Langenzersdorf and two other weirs on the New Danube will be continuously manned from Saturday morning in order to be adequately prepared for the expected water volumes. 

Alert also in other federal states
Upper Austria has also switched to crisis mode and fire departments are hoping for a "black eye". Mobile flood protection is being set up in Linz, Steyr and Mauthausen. However, the greater danger is likely to come from local flooding. In the Steyr-Land district, the rain caused one injury: early on Friday morning, a 71-year-old man left the road in his car on a soaked cart track in Großraming, slid about 100 meters down a sloping meadow and crashed into a tree.

According to Geosphere Austria, it will rain most on Friday and Saturday in the area from Vienna, Lower Austria and Burgenland to Upper Austria, most of Salzburg and Upper Styria and the Tyrolean lowlands. According to the current forecast, the rain will subside in the west of Austria on Sunday, while it will continue to rain in the north and east, with heavy rain at times. On Monday, the rain will be concentrated in the area from Vienna and Eisenstadt to Salzburg. There is no relief in sight until Tuesday.