Flood waters recede

Fire department breathes a sigh of relief: “The situation has eased”

A housing estate in Mauerkirchen had to be evacuated on Tuesday due to the flooding.(Bild: Manfred Fesl)

After the emergency services had been battling the masses of water virtually around the clock over the past few days, Wednesday night brought the first respite: "The situation has actually eased now," says Marie-Sophie Gahler, duty officer at the Upper Austrian Fire Service Command.

"There are still a few cellars to be pumped out or safety measures to be carried out," Marie-Sophie Gahler from the Upper Austrian State Fire Service Command told the "Krone" newspaper on Wednesday morning. "But the operations are now back to normal."

Fortunately, the predicted easing of the storm disaster actually occurred on Wednesday night. The provincial warning center itself is also back to normal operations; until recently, it was still staffed up or on heightened alert.

Relaxation should remain
"We assume that the water levels will go down," Gahler expects the situation to continue to ease. For the many thousands of emergency services who have been battling the water around the clock and supporting the people affected, this is a well-deserved breather after long nights of work.

Trains are running again
There is also good news for rail passengers: on Wednesday, the western line is at least partially back in operation. According to ÖBB, two long-distance trains per hour will run between Salzburg and Vienna via Linz.

Lake Attersee, on the other hand, will remain closed to shipping until Thursday. And for the many people affected by the floods in Upper Austria, the big clean-up begins now.