The fear among the residents of Kremsbrücke is still palpable during a local inspection the day after the night of the storm disaster. Heavy flooding left a trail of destruction.
The fate of the residents of Kremsbrücke cannot be expressed in words. “We have never experienced anything like this before,” is the shock on the faces of those affected. “It all happened so quickly. The siren blew and shortly afterwards the water flowed towards us.”
The power outage occurred right next to the bridge in the city, flooding the entire city. “The current found its own way, mud covered the entire road,” said Katharina Zippusch, as she observed the catastrophic moments in her home country. “If you don’t experience something like that yourself, you don’t believe it at all,” her husband Mario tells the “Krone” and looks exhausted into his garden, where firefighters are clearing away mud and broken objects.
Fear of fellow man
That night, 15-year-old Antonia Sagmeister fought her way to the top floor in knee-deep water. “We fled to the first floor and were soaked. I was so afraid for my mother, who was so desperate herself. It was like a horror film. Because you don’t know how it will end and whether more water will come our way,” the young woman from Upper Carinthia tells emotionally about the scenes and shows the muddy entrance to her house, where the cellar is still completely empty. flooded.
Hotel companies fear for their existence
Desperate and with tears in their eyes, the hoteliers are cleaning their entrance halls, bars and cellars, which have been completely destroyed by rubble and mud. “It’s all destroyed – the kitchen, the guest room, the bar, everything,” says Maria, who runs the Klemm business, with tears in her eyes. The season hasn’t even really started for them yet. “I’m forced to close indefinitely,” she and others fear for their livelihood.
Powerless against the power of water
Residents walk through the city, helpless and shaking their heads. “We were all powerless and could only watch as our city was destroyed by the avalanche,” said pensioner Josef Penker, who could not believe his eyes. And the emergency services could no longer fight the water that night and had to save their lives. “We tried to hold back the water with bags and barriers. But no chance. The police took everything away,” said Martin Walasch from the Eisentratten volunteer fire department.
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.
