Hope, fear – and finally a sigh of relief: the flooding situation in Tyrol on Monday was hard to beat drama-wise. Finally, the level of the country’s rivers and streams fell again on Tuesday night. Fortunately, even though there is more serious damage here and there, the major catastrophe has not occurred. In the Ötztal, however, a hamlet is completely cut off from the outside world.
In the west of Tyrol, the situation had already eased somewhat on Monday afternoon, in Kufstein the highest levels of the Inn were finally reached around midnight. Since then the water has receded. According to the current forecasts and assessments of the experts, no further significant increases in water levels are to be expected.
That is why the major cleaning started on Tuesday and the mobile facilities for flood protection are also being dismantled. “Tirol was well prepared, the emergency services and task forces did their best,” Governor Anton Mattle (ÖVP) emphasized in the morning. In the end, Tyrol was “luckily hit less hard” than initially feared.
More than 4000 firefighters are present
The emergency services still had their hands full: 4,300 firefighters were present and 570 operations were carried out. In the districts of Kufstein and Innsbruck-Land alone, 35,000 sandbags were filled with the support of the fire brigade. “These figures alone show what it means to be able to fall back on such a safety net as we have in Tyrol in the event of an incident,” said State Security Minister Astrid Mair (ÖVP).
Biggest damage expected in the Oberland
Now the focus is entirely on damage assessment. “According to current knowledge, the greatest damage is expected in the Oberland. We are currently discussing this and will get a sense of the situation today, Tuesday, as part of an on-site inspection,” continued Mattle.
The power and avalanche barriers sustained little or no damage. The sediment retention basins and buildings would have held. “Cleaning up the pools will now also be organized there.”
The hamlet of Köfels in the Ötztal is cut off from the outside world
The Ötztal was particularly hard hit. In the area between Umhausen and Längenfeld, where the B186 Ötztal Straße was badly damaged, the Ötztaler Ache searched for a new stream bed and destroyed the access road to the bridge in the hamlet of Köfels about 100 meters away. “44 residents of the mountain village of Köfels have thus been cut off,” says the mayor of Umhauser Jakob Wolf, who was there in the morning with LH Mattle for a local inspection.
Expert has taken a close look at the bridge
The municipality wants to open a forest road as an emergency route to Köfels by Wednesday. In the late morning, an expert from the country examined the bridge for stability. “Fortunately, that is the case, now the Ache is being continued on its old course under the bridge and the access road is being filled again,” says Wolf.
According to the current state of knowledge, the B186 Ötztal Straße will remain closed for several days. The rear Ötztal can be reached via the Timmelsjoch.
A temporary water pipe must be installed
The state company Tinetz was initially in the morning erecting a mast to provide electricity to the hamlet of Köfels. “We wanted to fly another plane on Monday, but the weather prevented this,” says Wolf. After the weather improved on Tuesday morning, the flight was possible and the unit is now supplying the mountain village at 1401 meters. In addition, a temporary water pipe must be installed because the existing pipe on the bridge has been destroyed. “For the time being, the residents can get by with the contents of the pool.”
In the morning, repair work on Ötztal Straße, which was torn away immediately south of the bridge, was already underway. According to Wolf, it should be corrected again within three to five days.
Sölden: Notweg was also torn away
In Sölden, which, like Längenfeld, is temporarily cut off from North Tyrol, cleaning work started on Tuesday morning. One problem is the bike path that has broken away in the north of the city and previously also served as an emergency route for the community. “There are gas and electricity pipes in it,” says the mayor of Sölden, Ernst Schöpf.
The Tigas closed the line immediately after the damage became known and there was probably no gas leakage. “The pipeline was not badly damaged, the Tigas is currently working on a makeshift solution.” There were no gas supply problems and electricity was never a problem.
Holidaymakers left via Timmelsjoch
Numerous guests who were already prepared to leave, already left the city on Monday via the Timmelsjoch detour to the south. Unfortunately, the route was temporarily blocked between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. on Monday due to a mudslide on the South Tyrolean side. “The food supply started on Tuesday via this route,” said Schöpf. For medical emergencies, an emergency medical helicopter is available and can fly at night.
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.
