About 600 emergency services from different countries are helping in Slovenia to supply the thousands of households cut off from civilization – right in the middle are Austrian soldiers with two helicopters. The situation, as the reconnaissance flights show, is devastating.
“You come first after the border, then it’s over. The roads are flooded, blocked by trees or completely destroyed,” says Lt. Col. Nina Raduha of the Slovenian army on the phone. What a local inspection in the Slovenian region of Koroška near Carinthia and Styria should therefore have become an article from eyewitness accounts.It is currently not possible to visit the area heavily affected by the storms.
At least not for journalists – but for the Austrian army. It has been in action since Wednesday with two helicopters – an S-70 “Black Hawk” and an Agusta Bell 212 (AB 212) transport helicopter – helping our southern neighbors with reconnaissance flights and caring for those people who are cut off from civilization.
No wonder: food, drinking water, medicines and tools, as well as work equipment – “actually everything necessary for life”, according to Radha – are urgently needed, especially in the villages of Dravograd, Mežica and Črna na Koroškem, which have been cut off from the civilization. From the base at Klagenfurt Airport, the red-white-red helicopters head towards Mislinjska Dobrava, where the Slovenian base was set up.
The first reconnaissance flights took place on Wednesday, so that the emergency services can first estimate the extent of the destruction. “There is much, almost too much to do,” says Raduha, describing the seriousness of the situation. And Slovenian Prime Minister Robert Golob agrees: “Tens of thousands of homes are flooded and tens of thousands of families are desperate – they don’t know how to survive in the coming weeks and months. Our message is clear: the aid is fast, effective and we are not forgetting anyone .”
wave of helpfulness
This is also underlined by the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, who visited the natural disaster areas and released €400 million from the Solidarity Fund. About 600 helpers are currently deployed in the hardest hit regions, plus more than 30 trucks: “We also have five helicopters from Slovenia and aid from Austria, Germany, Croatia and Spain. More specialists and doctors have already reported,” says Raduha on the phone to the “Krone” and you can hear how moved she is.
The missions will continue for a long time, she and her colleagues are convinced: pilot Matej Hajdinjak estimates that the helicopters will fly over Slovenia for at least another month – “but probably longer”. “There is no other way at the moment, because the roads are impassable,” says the Slovenian army officer.
After days of fog and (drizzling) rain, the sun now occasionally shows itself: “We will have to supply the cut-off locations from the air for quite some time. Now we can only hope for good weather in the coming weeks.”
Clearance work in Austria
Meanwhile, the relief mission of the Austrian armed forces continues: In Styria, about 70 soldiers from the Güssing barracks are helping to remove rubble, rubble and mud in the Feldbach district, which was particularly affected by the floods. About 130 people are deployed to Carinthia, where two helicopters are deployed for reconnaissance and transport duties.
Various mud flows and blockages in the Waidisch area, in the Vellach valley, in Unterbergen near Völkermarkt and in Neuhaus must be removed. “The focus is on the completion of a temporary bridge ‘Mabey&Johnson’ in the Neuhaus area, so that several cut-off groups of farms on the Motschulaberg can be reached again,” explains Kugelweis.
The focus is on cooperation: pioneers build a 50-tonne ferry in the Glainach area – only with their help can the power and avalanche control system in Carinthia first clear the landslides in the Unterguntschach area, and then ensure the supply of the village are. The pioneers have already started a passenger ferry service across the Drau for the residents.
Source: Krone
I am Wallace Jones, an experienced journalist. I specialize in writing for the world section of Today Times Live. With over a decade of experience, I have developed an eye for detail when it comes to reporting on local and global stories. My passion lies in uncovering the truth through my investigative skills and creating thought-provoking content that resonates with readers worldwide.
