Styria storm
Almost 1000 operations and “Sisyphean work” for electricity
As feared, the storm reached its peak in Styria on Sunday night. Fire departments across the country are working non-stop, and even the Energie Steiermark technicians have no time to rest. The first evacuations are being prepared.
The provincial fire brigade association speaks of an "extraordinary strain". From Saturday midnight to Sunday morning alone, no fewer than 817 operations were counted, the vast majority of which were directly related to the storms. In total, the Styrian fire departments have already had to deploy around 1600 times since the start of the freak weather, with no fewer than 5000 firefighters deployed.
Premiere for cell phone warning system
All parts of the province were affected, most recently also Graz-Umgebung, Voitsberg, Weiz and Hartberg-Fürstenfeld. For these four districts, a disaster warning was sent to the population by cell phone for the first time shortly after 1 p.m. using the "AT-Alert". As the storm was expected to "last until late in the evening with peak wind speeds of up to 100 km/h", people were warned against spending time in forests, parks and avenues.
Due to the heavy rainfall and the associated flooding and threat of mudslides, an AT Alert flood warning was later also issued in the Mürztal valley along the Mürz and in the municipality of Mariazell.
Trees on house roofs, carports and power lines
In contrast to the severely affected Lower Austria, for example, where a firefighter died during a pumping operation on Sunday, it is not the amount of rain that is causing the biggest problems in southern Styria, but the storm, which raged with winds of up to 120 km/h. Fallen trees blocked roads and paths, fell onto house roofs, carports and power lines, causing serious damage in some cases.
People trapped in vehicles
Particularly dramatic: in some cases, people were trapped in their cars after trees fell onto the road or vehicles. All those affected were brought to safety and there were no reports of injuries. In Graz-Umgebung, the fire department had to clear the way for a rescue operation, where fallen trees had also blocked the road.
Up to 25,000 households without power
Despite the constant efforts of Energie Steiermark, the power outages increased hour by hour. At peak times, around 25,000 households were reported to be without power, and on Sunday morning there were still around 20,000. 450 transformer stations were also out of action. Spokesman Urs Harnik reported a real "Sisyphean task", with each cut line having to be repaired individually. Up to 120 specialists are working at the same time.
Problems with public transport in Graz
The storm also left its mark on the provincial capital. In Andritz, streetcar lines 3 and 5 were unable to run late on Saturday evening due to a fallen tree. Bus route 53 also had to be diverted in the Andritzer Reichsstraße area.
First mudslides due to continuous rain in the "Nordstau"
In addition to the squalls, Upper Styria in particular continues to be plagued by large amounts of rain. In the "Nordstau" from Liezen via Leoben to Brück-Mürzzuschlag, pumping and safety work had to be carried out, and the first minor mudslides were reported from the Liezen district after the continuous rain.
Civil defense alert in Thörl
The market town of Thörl in the district of Bruck-Mürzzuschlag, which has been affected by extreme weather several times this year, had to issue a civil defense alert this morning. Due to the masses of water, the population was called upon to stay at home if possible, to avoid cellars, underground garages and riverbank areas and to follow the instructions of the emergency services. The warning was lifted again on Sunday afternoon.
The situation in Thörl on Sunday morning - the sports club facility is under water:
Mürz burst its banks in Kapfenberg
Due to the enormous amounts of rain in the entire catchment area, the Mürz in Kapfenberg's old town has burst its banks. Damage has also already occurred upstream in Mürzzuschlag. The situation is likely to worsen in the coming hours.
Lost on a hike in the weather chaos: German rescued
On Saturday evening, the Liezen Alpine Police and Gröbming Mountain Rescue triggered a major operation by a 59-year-old German who had set off on a mountain hike in Mitterberg-St. Martin am Grimming despite adverse conditions. He lost his way, fell and injured himself. Alpine police and 19 mountain rescuers had to climb up to 1100 meters to bring the hypothermic hiker, who was complaining of back pain, down to the valley.
Storm and Hartberg games canceled
The flood of cancellations over the past few days also included two Bundesliga matches involving Styria on Sunday: Sturm's away game at Wiener Austria had to be called off due to the ongoing storms, as did Hartberg's home game against WSG Tirol. GAK's home match against Altach could take place as planned.
Governor Christopher Drexler (ÖVP), civil protection, Energie Steiermark and the fire departments provided information on the current situation at midday on Sunday. Drexler spoke of a "dramatic situation" that remains tense. "Fortunately, there have been no injuries yet."
"Real easing" only on Tuesday
According to Harald Eitner from Styrian disaster control, the storm has caused the biggest problems so far. Although it is subsiding, "real relief" is not expected until Tuesday. Caution and perseverance are also still required when it comes to rain: "The northern tributaries to the Mürz are under a lot of pressure, the Thörlbach has already burst its banks," explains Eitner.
Energy damage in the millions
Energie Steiermark has already suffered millions in damage. The good news: according to spokesman Harnik, the cases are decreasing and critical infrastructure facilities are not currently affected. Nevertheless, it will still take days and in some cases even weeks to repair the damage.
Until the situation has normalized somewhat, the warning to the population remains in place. Governor Drexler: "Avoid unnecessary journeys, do not go into forests, high mountains or along riverbanks."
Evacuations possible
The weather situation was also observed with concern in St. Barbara im Mürztal on Sunday evening: the Red Cross prepared to evacuate up to 100 residents of the Mitterdorf and Wartberg districts for safety reasons. If the water levels continue to rise, they will be temporarily housed in a school.
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