Exactly one month ago, on June 29, the Austrian armed forces were asked to provide assistance in the districts of Villach and Villach-Land. Severe storms and massive rainfall have led to mudslides, flooding and chaos in the area. Since then, up to 100 soldiers and five army helicopters have been deployed regularly.
The Austrian armed forces have soldiers on standby 24 hours a day, who can be deployed in an emergency within hours or days – as has been the case in the opposite valley in recent weeks. The soldiers worked a total of almost 33,000 hours in about 2,800 man-days in the disaster areas in Upper Carinthia. Today, Friday, the assistance mission was officially ended.
“The rapid deployment has shown that the Austrian population can rely on the army. The aim of such disasters is always that those affected can return to normalcy as quickly as possible. My thanks go to all deployment organizations and in particular the military personnel who always provide support where help is urgently needed,” said Defense Secretary Klaudia Tanner.
Cadavers were flown out
Most of the soldiers come from Pioneer Battalion 1 in Villach. With their help, main roads were cleared of mud and driftwood and streams were cleared of rootstocks, trees and rocks to prevent further mudslides. Temporary bridges were also built to restore connection to isolated villages.
To support the troops on the ground, army helicopters flew reconnaissance, evacuation and resupply flights. “Even cadavers had to be flown out of the cut-off areas. The S 70 Black Hawk helicopters have even carried utility poles to restore power,” the Federal Defense Ministry said.
Source: Krone
I am Ida Scott, a journalist and content author with a passion for uncovering the truth. I have been writing professionally for Today Times Live since 2020 and specialize in political news. My career began when I was just 17; I had already developed a knack for research and an eye for detail which made me stand out from my peers.
