"Stay at home!"

Storms claim first victim in Lower Austria

Representatives from politics, the fire department, the army, rescue services and the police after the crisis meeting.

(Bild: Lauber)

The whole of Lower Austria was declared a disaster area in the early hours of Sunday morning. But while heavy rain and gale-force winds raged outside, there was an almost eerie silence in the safety center in Tulln. "We have the first casualty", says Johanna Mikl-Leitner.

"We ask for your understanding that we currently have to prioritize the emergency calls," says State Fire Brigade Commander Dietmar Fahrafellner on Sunday morning. At this point, the volunteer fire department throughout Lower Austria already had 2,000 calls on the waiting list. Fahrafellner: "And there are more every minute!" At the moment, the emergency services have to concentrate on saving life and limb. "We don't have the capacity to pump out cellars," he appeals to the population to remain calm.

Firefighter died in the Tulln district
It was apparently just such an operation that cost the life of a firefighter in Lower Austria on Sunday night. The volunteer slipped on a staircase while pumping out water in a cellar in the district of Tulln and died. No further information on the accident will be released for the time being.

Only urgently necessary journeys
Hence the Governor's urgent appeal: "If at all possible, stay at home. You are putting yourself and other people in danger!" Because the forces of the "Lower Austria security family" are currently doing superhuman work - above all, of course, the fire department. They have been working for days to protect the country and its people from the forces of nature. More than 1000 houses have already had to be evacuated as a precautionary measure, especially in the catchment area of the Kamp.

Representatives from politics, the fire department, the army, rescue services and the police after the crisis meeting.

(Bild: Lauber)

Kamp reservoirs will soon be full
As reported, the energy supplier EVN has also been working intensively over the past few days to create sufficient capacity in the chain of reservoirs along the Kamp. 132 million cubic meters of water were drained as a precaution - but even that will not be enough. As spokesman Stefan Zach emphasized after the crisis team meeting, 120 cubic metres of water per second are currently being drained, but 480 cubic metres per second will follow: "The sluices in Ottenstein will have to be opened in the early afternoon."

Several "100-year floods"
Deputy Governor Stephan Pernkopf heads the state's crisis team. He speaks of unprecedented volumes of water. "On many large rivers, we have water levels that only occur every 30 years; on the tributaries, there are 100-year flood levels and beyond," he warns of anxious hours ahead. Rainfall of 60 liters per square meter and more is forecast for Sunday. And: "The ground is full, the rain will immediately run into the streams. There will be more flooding!"

Emergency services from neighboring provinces
All 1169 fire departments in Lower Austria are on alert, with more than 20,000 men and women on duty at all times. Because Lower Austria is now on disaster alert, troops from other provinces can also be requested. Volunteers from Styria, Carinthia, Upper Austria and Burgenland are already on site to relieve the local emergency services.

The state's crisis management team under the leadership of Governor Johanna Mikl-Leitner and her deputy Stephan Pernkopf met daily in Tulln

(Bild: Lauber)

Armed forces mobilize
Meanwhile, the Lower Austrian military command is gathering its forces for the upcoming assistance mission. "The soldiers are currently on their way to the barracks", they say. Around 1000 men are to be ready for deployment today, and forces are also already being assembled in the western provinces. According to the command, the military is reinforcing the Red Cross with all-terrain ambulances in order to reach patients.

Thanks to the governor
"Our thanks go to all the emergency services, first and foremost the fire department of course, but also the rescue services and police, the civil defense association and the army," said Mikl-Leitner. She also highlighted the countless private helpers who are helping neighbors and relatives in these difficult hours: "The power of the community is up against the power of nature here."

Lower Austria has always been a strong state. And now, too, we are all helping together to overcome this disaster. That was the case with the 2002 floods, it was the case with the 2013 floods and it will be the same with the 2024 floods!

Johanna Mikl-Leitner, Landeshauptfrau von Niederösterreich

Bild: APA/TOBIAS STEINMAURER

What does this mean for the schools?
Even though the rain is expected to subside on Monday night, further precipitation is expected at the beginning of the week. However, schools are expected to remain open. Even if it will not be possible for many people to travel, especially by public transport. Mikl-Leitner commented: "We will do everything we can to ensure that our schools are open on Monday. But nobody should put themselves in danger on the way to class." Children should therefore stay at home on Monday if possible, according to the provincial governor.