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WEATHER

Flooding causes chaos across Austria

The heavy rains and flooding which hit Germany last week came to Salzburg and Tyrol in Austria over the weekend, resulting in flood alarms sounding across the area, and people having to be rescued by helicopter. 

Flooding causes chaos across Austria
People walk on a bridge over a flooded river in Salzburg. Photo: ANTON TEMMEL / APA / FMT / AFP

The flood waters are now receding and the clean-up operation is in place. However, on Sunday afternoon there was localised flooding in Krems. 

Salzburg volunteers working around the clock

In the Salzburg region, volunteers have been working around the clock to put up sandbags in the Mittersill area, after water levels reached dangerous levels.

News reports describe it as a 50-year flood event. The Salzach River has seven metre high flood protection barriers.

READ MORE: How the New Danube protects Vienna from catastrophic floods

Behind these dams, the water reached a peak of  6.90 meters, measured from zero at the bottom of the Salzach River, and had only reduced to 6.8m by 6.30 p.m, according to the Salzburger Nachrichten

Hallein ‘narrowly escaped devastating incident’

The village of Hallein in the Salzburg region “narrowly escaped a devastating accident according to Der Standard newspaper, where volunteers and 50 members of the army were working on Sunday to clear away mud and wreckage from where the small ​​Kothbach river flooded the town.

Residents have been evacuated from parts of the old town and put up in emergency shelters set up at a school, and volunteers have been filling sandbags in an effort to stop flooding.

In Kuchl, also in the Salzburg region, drinking water was contaminated due to flooding, according to broadcaster ORF.

Unprecedented flooding in Tyrol town

The Mayor of Kurfstein in Tyrol said the city centre was “under water in a way that we have never seen before,” the Wiener Zeitung reports. Tyrol has also experienced numerous mudslides, flooded cellars and garages over the weekend.

People were told to stay home, not to enter underground garages and cellars and also to stay away from the dams of the rivers in the The Zell am See district and in Lower Austria on Sunday due to fears of mudslides. 

Fire brigades across the country have been on almost 1,000 missions since Saturday, and more than 500 Viennese firefighters have been making trips from the city to help those nearby affected by the floods.

Styria, Upper Austria,  Vorarlberg and Carinthia also affected

Heavy rain also created a risk of flooding and mudslides across Styria, as well as numerous damage. In Upper Styria, especially in Ennstal, Gesäuse and Mariazeller Land, the fire brigades have working around the clock since Saturday evening, broadcaster ORF reports.

In Vorarlberg, the city of Dornbirn was particularly bady affected. In the Seebach valley in Carinthia, there were several mudslides on Saturday afternoon, and a couple of mountain hut dwellers had to be flown out from 1,338 meters above sea level, when the route down was blocked, broadcaster ORF reports. 

In Upper Austria, extreme rainfall in Schärding, Steyr and in the Salzberg region has caused cellars to flood. Mobile protective dams will be put up along the Danube, broadcaster ORF reports, adding it is expected this is expected to contain the flooding. 

Kurz ‘shocked’ by images of flooding

Sebastian Kurz said he was “shocked” by the images of flooding in Tyrol and Hallein, and promised money from the disaster fund.

He thanked the volunteers and fire brigades in a tweet, which read “I  would like to thank all the emergency services and volunteers who do everything to help! We will not leave those affected alone and support them in rebuilding.”

Vienna bans swimming and boating in the New Danube

Vienna experienced more than a month’s rainfall in a few hours during dramatic thunderstorms on Saturday and firefighters were busy pumping out flooded cellars, underground garages and underpasses at the weekend according to broadcaster ORF.

People have been banned from swimming or boating in the New Danube in Vienna as floodwater has entered the waters, which are now “cloudy”, Austrian agency APA reports. There may also be strong currents in the water. 

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WEATHER

‘Achtung… Gefahr’: What do Austria’s weather warnings actually mean?

Austria's national weather agency issues warnings for potentially dangerous weather on a scale from yellow to red. But what does the weather alert system mean, and what should you do if there's a warning?

'Achtung... Gefahr': What do Austria's weather warnings actually mean?

As Austria gets more affected by global warming, the frequency of extreme weather increases. 

Austria has an advanced system of warnings led by the country’s Meteorological Service GeoSphere Austria. “Our regular verification shows a high level of accuracy in the warnings. This is very important for the acceptance and behaviour of the population,” said Dr Andreas Schaffhauser, Scientific Director General of GeoSphere Austria. 

He added: “The better and more comprehensible warnings of major weather events are, the more seriously they are taken and the greater the chance that people will respond to them.”

Austria follows a traditional weather warning system consisting of three colours: yellow, orange, and red.

READ ALSO: How prepared is Austria for extreme weather events?

A yellow warning means caution (Vorsicht!). It means that caution in the current weather scenario is urged, but only isolated weather-connected endangerment and/or damages are anticipated.

An orange warning means attention (Achtung!!), as the current weather scenario can lead to endangerment, disturbances in everyday life and damages. People should pay close heed to the ongoing weather forecasts.

Finally, a red warning means danger (Gefahr!!!). In this case, the current weather scenario is expected to lead to extensive endangerment, disturbances of everyday life and/or considerable damage. People should pay close heed to the ongoing weather forecasts and comply with the instructions of the Civil Defence. 

Each warning is usually issued for one or more weather conditions such as wind, rain, snow, black ice, thunderstorm, heat stress and cold stress.

READ ALSO: What is Austria’s official emergency-warning phone app, and do I need it?

Avalanche risk

The European Union has an online tool to check the dangers of avalanches, the European Avalanche Warning Services. You can zoom in and click on the province where you are travelling to get more information, or just check using the links below:

There are no high mountains with a risk of avalanches in large parts of Upper Austria, Lower Austria, and the entire provinces of Burgenland and Vienna.

There are five danger levels in Austria: 1 – low (green), 2 – moderate (yellow), 3 – considerable (orange), 4 – high (red) and 5 – very high (red and black). These colours are also used to mark avalanche risk in loco, so if you see an avalanche sign in orange, for example, it indicates a considerable risk in that area. 

READ ALSO: Avalanches in Austria: What you should know to stay safe in the mountains

Danger level 5 is rarely forecasted, while danger level 3 is forecasted for around 30 percent of the winter season. Approximately 50 percent of avalanche fatalities happen while the level is “considerable”.

Warning systems

In case of more severe or sudden alerts, Austria also has emergency systems in place. For example, the country’s civil defence alarm has nationwide warning siren systems.

Different sounds mean different things: 

  • TESTING (15 seconds continuous tone): A quick continuous tone to test whether sirens work correctly.

What to do: don’t panic; this is only a test. You can check ORF on radio, TV or online to confirm this.

  • WARNING (3 minutes continuous tone): A constant continuous tone with a length of 3 minutes means “warning”. This signal is triggered when the population is warned of approaching danger.

What to do: Switch on radio or TV on public broadcaster ORF, or check www.orf.at and follow the rules of conduct.

  • ALARM (1 minute rising and falling wailing tone): An ascending and descending wailing tone of at least 1 minute duration means “alarm” and alerts that the danger is imminent.

What to do: Switch on radio or TV on public broadcaster ORF, or check www.orf.at and follow the rules of conduct. Look for protective areas or rooms.

  • ALL CLEAR (1-minute continuous tone): A constant continuous tone of 1 minute (only after the alarm signal) means “all clear”, i.e. end of danger.

What to do: Continue to pay attention to the announcements on the radio, TV or ORF online, as there may be certain temporary restrictions.

READ MORE: Austria’s civil defence alarm: What you should know about the warning siren system

The Ministry of the Interior’s official smartphone app, KATWARN, is a system that displays information and warnings from various authorities on a location-based or topic related to smartphones.

The app complements the existing warning options such as sirens, loudspeakers and media broadcasts. The advantage is that it can immediately warn people of any significant events, informing them of the danger and, just as important, giving immediate information on how to behave.

If you live in Vienna or go there often, the official Stadt Wien app is very useful. It brings essential news and pushes notifications on traffic disruptions near you, weather alerts or civil emergencies.

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