Pupils eagerly helped

Cleaning instead of school after terrible floods

The flood caused enormous damage.

(Bild: zVg)

This is solidarity in action! Pupils from Lambach (Upper Austria) helped their teacher in Lower Austria after the floods. His house had been badly devastated by the masses of water. The children came and spent a day cleaning - voluntarily. Now they are also collecting donations for the reconstruction.

The teachers, pupils and parents of Lambach Sports Middle School proved that they can stick together in difficult times. They helped after the floods in Lower Austria.

And this is how it happened: "One of our teachers lives in Lower Austria and is at the school during the week. A week ago Friday, he went home. A few hours later, he sent videos. His house and that of his parents-in-law were completely flooded. He and his mother-in-law even had to be rescued by helicopter," reports Gerald Grecksamer, director of the school. And it quickly became clear to him: "We have to do something."

Equipped with wellies and work gloves, the team from Lambach Sports Middle School went out to help.

(Bild: zVg)

Everyone wanted to help immediately
On Monday, he told his teachers and the fourth-grade students about his idea. "Everyone wanted to help straight away," says the principal, still moved by the wave of willingness to help. After getting the go-ahead from the Education Directorate, they set off for Markersdorf on Tuesday morning - nine children, two teachers, the school caretaker and a pupil's father. Equipped with drying equipment and cleaning utensils, they drove to the house.

The best thing about the whole thing was that the children thanked us on Monday evening for letting them come along.

Schuldirektor Gerald Grecksamer von der SMS Lambach

Children thanked us
They worked there for hours in several groups, even at neighbors' houses. Four houses were cleaned. "You can't imagine what it looks like there. In terms of humanity, the children learned more than in a school year," says Grecksamer: "But the best thing was that the children thanked us on Monday evening for letting them go on the trip." The school has set up a donation account so that it can continue to help and further drying equipment will also be brought to Lower Austria.

The SPÖ Lambach also wants to help the affected family. "Due to the flood disaster and the information about the plight of a Lambach teacher as a result of this disaster, the SPÖ Lambach has decided not to print and send out an advertising brochure for the National Council elections and to donate the money earmarked for this purpose to the family in need," it says in a press release.