For months, the inhabitants of Guntschach (Carinthia) have only been able to leave their village via an emergency route because the normal road has been closed due to the Hemmafelsen. Now there was a mudslide during the thunderstorms on Monday.
While there was hail and flooding in the Klagenfurt basin, a debris flow erupted near Maria Rain. “The masses of earth went directly over the path and completely tore away the escape route,” confirms Franz Ragger, the mayor of Maria Rain. “We are now on site with geologists and technical experts to get a better picture of the situation.”
Cut off from the outside world
It should be clarified whether there is a possibility to make the escape route usable again in the short term. But for now, the Guntschachers have to wait until they are cut off from the outside world again.
“When the thunderstorms started yesterday, we were only concerned about the wind at first, but with the water masses it was clear to us that it could be dangerous for the escape route,” says a resident in an interview with “Krone”. “Everything there is made of sandstone and the soil does not absorb water well. The escape route has been damaged in five places by mudslides.”
After everything had played out in quick succession, there was no chance to react quickly. “We couldn’t get the cars out quickly. Fortunately, we just heard that the Valentine’s ferry has been reactivated,” continued the resident. “The road to the Drava is still a bit muddy at the moment, but it should be free in a day or two. Otherwise, the only alternative would be to cross mountain to Göltschach – that easily takes half an hour.”
The ferry service operates from Tuesday afternoon. “Today we are on the road between 12:00 and 1:30 p.m. and in the evening between 5:00 and 7:30 p.m.,” confirms Florain Poganitsch of the Valentin Ferry. “And starting tomorrow, we will be ready for people in the morning, afternoon and evening to collect groceries, medicines and the mail. In addition, we will transport workers so that the escape route can be restored as quickly as possible.” There are 20 volunteer ferrymen at work, who will always be working in pairs in the coming weeks.
Source: Krone
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