Flood disaster: Lower Austria's emergency services save thousands of lives!
On March 21, 2025, the OTS will report on the flood disaster in Lower Austria and the measures to deal with the damage.
Flood disaster: Lower Austria's emergency services save thousands of lives!
Six months ago, Austria was hit by a devastating flood disaster. Extremely heavy rainfall caused numerous streams and rivers to overflow their banks, causing enormous damage. Around 95,000 emergency services were mobilized to support the affected areas. “The solidarity during this crisis was overwhelming,” said the governor of Lower Austria, Johanna Mikl-Leitner. Numerous cities, such as Pielach and Sierning, reached levels of heavy rain that normally only occur every 300 years. The disaster alarm was triggered for all of Lower Austria, and the state government dramatically increased aid from the disaster fund from 20 to 50 percent in order to be able to help those affected more quickly.
In total, almost 337 million euros have been distributed so far, mainly to families, while 10 percent of applications came from companies. Aid payments also went to organizations that were severely affected by the floods. In addition, urgently needed measures are being taken to improve flood protection, including the expansion of protective facilities along a total of 170 kilometers of river. “Our investments in flood protection are already showing initial success,” emphasizes Mikl-Leitner, with experts confirming that the last few years have been crucial in limiting the damage.
Demands for support in disaster protection
In parallel to the flood protection measures, the Hessian state government is also strengthening its disaster protection with significant investments. In 2024, Hesse invested around 21 million euros in modern equipment vehicles for disaster control in order to better equip emergency services for future floods and vegetation fires, as Interior Minister Roman Poseck reports. In addition, over 47 million euros will flow into fire protection to secure the municipalities' security infrastructure. These major investments are necessary to meet the challenges posed by increasing extreme weather events.
As a result, Hesse appears to be well positioned - not only material support, but also an initiative to reduce bureaucratic hurdles for fire departments is to be created. Particular attention is also being paid to recognizing volunteer forces who work daily to ensure the safety of citizens, while the number of attacks on such forces has reached a worrying high. Poseck therefore announced comprehensive measures to improve the protection of these important helpers, including an increase in police allowances and tougher penalties for attacks on emergency services.