The heavy rainfall of the past 24 hours has left its mark. Houses were flooded, roads were closed and valleys were cut off. The communities in the Salzburger Pongau and Pinzgau were particularly hard hit.
The level of the Salzach in Mittersill began to rise rapidly in the early hours of the morning. Shortly before 2 p.m., the bridge in the city center had to be raised. The Salzach was just under 5.40 meters high. “Every time the bridge is lifted in our town, you know it’s going to be risky,” said Mittersill mayor Wolfgang Viertler. “And that extends far beyond our community boundaries.”
Holiday camp evacuated
The Mittersill city manager was right: in Neukirchen, three people were evacuated from their homes, and in Niedernsill, 110 children were transferred from a holiday camp as a precaution. Mittersill survived the continuous rain without major damage. Some partly natural retention areas were nevertheless flooded. The Rettenbach district, which was hit by the storm almost two weeks ago, including the narrow stream bed, came off lightly this time.
However, the continuous rain had a firm hold on the land far beyond Oberpinzgau. Huge amounts of rain fell from the sky within 24 hours. Deep in the Tauern valleys, up to 130 liters of rain per square meter fell, in the Rauris and Gastein valleys it was around 100 litres.
Well-known waterfall as brown torrent
The bodies of water grew too large for several retention basins in the valleys. In Rauris, a protective reservoir overflowed and flooded a street in the Bucheben neighborhood. The road to the valley remained closed Tuesday night. In Gastein, the famous waterfall in the center showed its wildest, brown side. The Gasteiner Ache supplied so much water that it overflowed its banks in several places.
Bad Hofgastein in particular was hit hard. Already in the afternoon, a 30-year flood was reached there. Protective constructions sometimes no longer helped. The water from the Tauern made its way through the valley into the Ache.
B311 closed at Schwarzach
The situation in neighboring Großarltal was similar. There, the Ache flooded a parking lot, the fire brigade just protected a neighboring hotel with sandbags. A boulder fell on the way to Ellmautal. The road to Grossarl and Hüttschlag remained closed until the evening hours. At Schwarzach the Salzach overflowed onto the B311. The important connection between Pongau and Pinzgau was interrupted and train traffic also came to a standstill.
The two largest cities in Pongau were badly hit. While in St. Johann the golf course and adjacent cellars were flooded, a neighborhood in Bischofshofen was hit. Despite the flood protection, about ten houses were flooded, including the home of Mayor Hansjörg Obinger’s parents.
1000 helpers, 200 missions
In total, more than 1,000 firefighters were deployed across the country. The sandbags ran out and the pumps were running at full speed. As the flooding situation in Pinzgau and Pongau eased in the evening, the capital prepared for the high level.
According to the Hydrographic Service, the highest point of the Salzach in the city, at 6.5 meters, should not be reached until around midnight. As a precaution, a flood defense was constructed throughout the city. Emergency services and emergency services will still be needed in the coming days.
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.
