Heavy rain in Austria: fire brigades in continuous use!

Heavy rain in Austria: fire brigades in continuous use!

Amstetten, Österreich - heavy rain, which has been in parts of Austria since March 29, ensures numerous fire brigade missions. The federal states of Lower Austria and Upper Austria, especially the Amstetten district, are particularly affected. Here the fire brigades are in constant use to cope with the damage effects of the nightly precipitation. The emergency services from Windhag, Haag, Euratsfeld, St. Valentin and Aschbach had their hands full to pump out the basement, to eliminate the decorations on streams, to check the retention basin and to build roadblocks. In Haag, even two tunnels were impassable, and the B122 between Aschbach and Krenstetten had to be closed.

The fire brigade city of Haag has reported persistent missions since midnight. Fire brigade spokesman Philipp Gutlederer expressed that on Sunday morning a slight calming down of the situation was to be determined; However, the emergency services remained on alert. In Upper Austria, a building threatened to flood in Niederneukirchen, which is why pumping work was necessary at a process. Here were 25 members, including 24 men and one woman, and worked for two and a half hours.

traffic accidents from aquaplaning

In addition to the weather caps, a traffic accident occurred on the state road near Niederneukirchen in the early morning of March 30. A car overturned and landed in the ditch. The fire brigade supported the rescue and cleaning of the road. According to initial investigations, Aquaplaning could have been the cause of the accident.

In connection with the unpredictable weather conditions, an incident must also be mentioned on the A1 in Oberwang, which occurred on the night from Monday to Tuesday, June 7th. There was a 42-year-old Polish citizen on the road with excessive speed during heavy rainfall. The driver came off the road due to aquaplaning, slipped on the embankment and overturned before the vehicle came to the roof on the right lane. Fortunately, the upcoming road user remained attentive and secured the scene of the accident, which means that the rescue workers could be informed in good time. The person who caused the accident was brought to the Salzkammergut Clinic Vöcklabruck with injuries of an undetermined degree.

climatic framework conditions

The current weather events are in the context of the changing climate in Austria. According to a statistical evaluation of recent years, it shows that extreme weather events such as the current rains could increase. ORF surveys show that the rainfall in some regions, especially in Lower Austria, are extremely high and can even lead to rain records. The analysis of the weather data in 2024 illustrates that almost every month was above average, with significant climatic deviations that are 1.8 degrees above the average from 1991 to 2020.

These developments make it clear that precipitation has increased degrees of expectations, especially with regard to the weather conditions and their effects on the infrastructure and the safety of road users. A look at the information of the relevant reports illustrates the need to actively counter the challenges of climate change.

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