Enormous damage

St. Pölten: Enormous damage, clean-up work underway

The Traisen flooded St. Pölten from Ochsenburg to Pottenbrunn.

(Bild: zVg)

The night brought some relief in St. Pölten, although another dam broke in Ratzersdorf. The water levels are falling and the clean-up work is now in full swing. Mayor Matthias Stadler speaks of "enormous damage" - and many false reports.

The day started with a horror story in the state capital. A second dam burst was discovered in the district of Ratzersdorf after the one in Pottenbrunn. "But there is no danger," reassures incident commander Mateusz Fryn. Presumably an attempt is being made to seal it from the air.

In general, the night in St. Pölten has brought a slight easing of the situation, as Fryn explains: "The water levels have dropped slightly." However, there is still plenty of work for the fire department. The true extent of the damage is still being assessed and numerous cellars still need to be pumped out.

"Never experienced before"
The clean-up work is now in full swing throughout the city, as Mayor Matthias Stadler explains. "I've never experienced a flood disaster on this scale before, the damage is enormous," says the mayor. According to Fryn, the amount of rain expected today, Monday, should be less than feared: "We are confident that it will continue to ease." 

A dam break caused massive problems in Pottenbrunn.

(Bild: Feuerwehr St. Pölten-Pottenbrunn)

The hotspots in St. Pölten are mainly along the rivers and streams. The Traisen has hit the north-south axis from Ochsenburg to Pottenbrunn particularly hard. In Pottenbrunn, 19 people had to leave their homes due to the first dam burst. Fortunately, there were no injuries, but the damage to the buildings was considerable. The fire station itself was also flooded and the firefighters had to set up their temporary operations center at the Schania company.

Small streams became raging rivers
But even normally small streams became raging rivers. The Nadelbach stream, for example, caused flooding as far as Europaplatz, the busiest intersection in the state capital. The Harlander stream flooded the district of the same name. 

Contrary to many false reports, the drinking water in St. Pölten is still safe to drink, emphasizes the city.

(Bild: dpa/Oliver Berg)

In addition to the many operations and clean-up work, those responsible and helpers are also concerned about false reports. Especially those about drinking water. "The drinking water supply in St. Pölten is guaranteed and the reservoirs are full. Drinking water in the city area can be consumed without hesitation. It is not necessary to boil the drinking water," the city announced again early Monday morning.

Many driveways open again
As of Monday morning, only the S33 north slip road in the direction of Krems is closed, all other slip roads are (again) open. According to Mayor Stadler, the LUP city bus should also run as normally as possible. Line 10 is canceled due to the closure in Windpassing, line 4 ends in Ratzersdorf.

The crisis team has been doing valuable work since the beginning of the disaster. It is disasters like this that show how strong the cohesion in our city is.

Bürgermeister Matthias Stadler

However, because the sewage situation has failed, especially in large parts of Pottenbrunn, the town has set up toilet container facilities. The sanitary facilities at the Citysplash outdoor pool are also available.

The water masses fought their way to the town center.

(Bild: zVg)

Flood-damaged households will also be contacted directly to dispose of various broken items. "We ask that you separate electrical appliances and bulky waste where possible and, in your own interest, we would like to draw your attention to the documentation of your damage in order to be able to trace any insurance claims," says the city.

Local collection can be organized with the waste collection service on 02742/333-4444.