15,000 cubic meters of water flowed into the XXXLutz furniture store in the heart of St. Pölten. It essentially became a ‘retention basin’ for the city centre. It was able to open again a month later.
The elevator to the underground parking garage is not yet working, the reception area in the warehouse is still under construction. Furthermore, at the XXXLutz branch on St. Pöltner Europaplatz, there is almost nothing to indicate the consequences of the once-in-a-century flood. They were devastating. 15,000 cubic meters of water flowed from the normally small Nadelbach, several hundred meters away, to the lower camp and the parking garage. “We were basically the retention basin for the city center,” says director Martin Lackner.
However, the damage to the furniture store amounted to millions. The water has been in the building for over a week. Most of the stored goods were destroyed and the building services in the basement were completely destroyed. “My employees even came from vacation with rubber boots and brooms to help,” Lackner says proudly. Because there was no electricity for two weeks, cleanup could only be done with headlights.
About a month after the storm disaster, the branch was able to open again on Wednesday. The numerous customers were welcomed with champagne. There is live music on Friday and Saturday.
Source: Krone
I’m Ben Stock, a journalist and author at Today Times Live. I specialize in economic news and have been working in the news industry for over five years. My experience spans from local journalism to international business reporting. In my career I’ve had the opportunity to interview some of the world’s leading economists and financial experts, giving me an insight into global trends that is unique among journalists.
