Forest: Third large-scale mudslide operation in three days

The area around the terminus of the Pinzgau Railway in the municipality of Wald is a “critical point”, said Manfred Pongruber from the disaster control of the Zell am See district authority: this area was hit by mudsling three times in three days. The area was extensively evacuated on Monday evening. For the rapid evacuation of the danger spots, an assistance mission from the armed forces was requested. A set of the Pinzgauer local railway has been buried, it has to be freed with heavy equipment.

On Monday “strongest debris flow in the last three days”

“On Monday we would have been really hopeful that we would actually have this major disaster situation under control,” said Michael Obermoser (ÖVP), Mayor of Wald im Pinzgau. “And in the evening there was another thunderstorm front that was tough. On Monday we had the strongest debris flow in the last three days. That meant that we had to evacuate the entire station area. Human lives were simply in danger. “

Now the emergency services are trying to “create a replacement creek bed for the Krimmler Ache”, said Obermoser. “So that something like this doesn’t happen again the next night. We are trying to clear the Krimmler Landesstraße with a single lane so that the basic infrastructure is restored. “The damage to the road, railway and buildings is in any case” immense “, emphasized the mayor. “You can’t estimate that at the moment because there is still a lot of debris lying on top. We will only be able to find out in a few days. “

Already on Saturday and Sunday evenings

On Saturday night there had already been a civil defense alarm in the area after several mudslides – more on this in Wald: Houses cleared after mudslides (salzburg.ORF.at; August 15, 2021). There were also deployments after a thunderstorm on Sunday evening – more on this in Oberpinzgau: Again violent thunderstorms (salzburg.ORF.at; August 16, 2021).

District captain Bernhard Gratz said on Tuesday morning that the damage was not only great in the forest: “During the night, the heavy rainfall again caused major damage, especially to roads and infrastructure, which are currently being examined and repaired on site. We as the authority, the emergency services and of course the population stand together in this difficult situation. “

St. Johann im Pongau, served other hotspots

Nationwide, on the other hand, the focus of operations was in Pongau and Dienten. Here a coach was washed into a stream. In the district capital of Pongau, St. Johann, a civil defense alarm was called, the town centers of Wagrain and Altenmarkt were partially under water – more on storm damage: “Cleaning up will take weeks” (salzburg.ORF.at; August 17, 2021).

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