On Monday night, Styria was spared from heavy storms. Cleaning work is being carried out in the districts of Graz-Umwelt and Hartberg-Fürstenfeld. In St. Radegund and Schöckl the drinking water is undrinkable. In the early afternoon the thunderstorms passed without much damage.
After heavy rain again on Sunday afternoon, there was time for a breather on Monday evening: “Fortunately, the supercell almost disappeared shortly before the affected area,” says Matthias Novacek from the Hartberg fire brigade association. There were 1,500 firefighters on site on Sunday. “A few operations took place that night. Nowadays it’s all about cleaning up, cleaning the streets and supporting the population in cleaning up and emptying cellars.”
Soldiers build bridges
The federal army is also on the ground in the district to repair broken bridges and roads. In Kleinlungitz, a collapsed bridge has closed off some farms – it should be passable again on Tuesday.
“You should avoid going near rivers and look out for roadblocks – unfortunately some people ignore them. Otherwise all we can say is: hang in there! The fire brigade is giving everything and together we will get through this,” says Novacek.
Floods on the Safen
In Bierbaum an der Safen in the municipality of Bad Blumau, the Safen overflowed its banks on Sunday. The armory was also flooded. A horse stable was flooded in Bad Blumau.
Dinghy driver rescued
Martin Jeindl from the fire brigade association Fürstenfeld also describes a difficult situation in Burgau – someone lost control of an inflatable boat and had to be rescued: “He wanted to deliver food to a farmer who was stuck in the water. The farmer refused to rescue them and wanted to stay with the animals. With the help of the fire brigade, the driver of the rubber boat was rescued by comrades from the two Zillen bases in Fürstenfeld and Großsteinbach.
However, since Sunday, water levels have dropped dramatically, Jeindl says. “By more than two meters. This is an important buffer. We are closely monitoring the situation.”
Drinking water partly undrinkable
According to information from Holding Graz, the drinking water in St. Radegund near Graz and Schöckl is currently not suitable for consumption. The Hexenexpress and the descent routes at Schöckl are closed today, Monday.
Access to the cable car is only possible via Ebersdorf and Mariatrost, but not via Andritz and Weinitzen. The Phyrnautbahn A9 will also remain closed until the end of the week.
The civil protection alert, which was still in force in several communities on Sunday, was lifted on Monday morning. In the early afternoon, the hard-hit community of Deutschfeistritz warned residents of an approaching storm – but fortunately the fears did not materialize and the all-clear was given at 2pm. Here too, water levels and weather forecasts are closely monitored.
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.
