Severe storms – many houses were almost swept away by Mure

There were selective storm operations in some parts of Lower Austria. After some severe thunderstorms, the fire brigade in Göstling an der Ybbs in the Scheibbs district had to turn out on Thursday. Around 6 p.m. there was a dramatic mudslide between two houses in a residential area. According to the fire service, the landslide was caused by the heavy rainfall in the middle of the Ybbssteinbach residential area. A 15 meters wide and five meters high earthen slope suddenly collapsed due to the undermining.

Geologist checks on site
Within minutes of the alarm being raised, the Florianis were on the scene to secure the situation and free the stricken houses from the mud. After consultation with local mayor Friedrich Fahrnberger, an inspection was scheduled for Friday by a geologist from the Scheibbs district administration to assess the current situation from an expert’s point of view. A construction company has already been ordered to remove the existing soil.

Several mudslides on Corpus Christi day
The Göstling volunteer fire brigade was only on duty in Ybbssteinbach with 15 men and four vehicles for about two and a half hours. Due to the heavy rainfall, the emergency services in the Ybbstal were challenged several times during the holiday. For example, the fire brigades of Hollenstein, Ybbsitz and Opponitz had to pump out numerous cellars and clear the streets of fallen trees.

In addition, there were dangerous mudslides along individual road sections near Opponitz. Debris and earth got onto the road and blocked traffic. Here too it was necessary to remove the mud from the affected areas.