Heavy rains in the St. Pölten district: fire brigade does incredible

Heavy rains in the St. Pölten district: fire brigade does incredible

In the district of St. Pölten, the flood disaster in September provided the fire brigade members with an unprecedented challenge. Several rivers stepped over the banks and went hand in hand with days for days, which led to an extraordinary Situation. The fire brigade did unprecedented work in this critical period to help those affected.

A total of 210 people and 50 animals were saved from the floods. Unfortunately there was also a fatality and twelve injured people to complain about. On the most unique days, all 126 fire departments were in use in the district. The first few days were characterized by rescue campaigns that should bring human and animal life to safety. Only gradually could the basement and buildings be pumped out with increased support from the disaster aid service.

rescue campaigns and operational readiness

The situation required enormous effort, because around 5,000 fire brigade members were in constant stress to combat the consequences of the natural disaster with a total of over 6,275 missions. This extensive mobilization needed over 160,000 hours of use, with up to six dispatchers used to coordinate the request for help. 25 disaster reliefs with 1,250 forces from different federal states, including Carinthia and Salzburg, actively supported the fire brigade.

The requirements for the equipment of the fire brigades were enormous, many materials were used strongly and damaged in places. "The intensive cleaning and repair work on the fire brigade equipment has almost been completed," reported the district fire brigade command. But some devices still have to be repaired or replaced.

The flood damage was comprehensive: there were problems with drinking water supply in eleven communities, while sewage system was also affected in seven other municipalities. Despite all the effort, 4,500 objects were damaged by the flood, and there were eleven dam breaks.

District fire brigade commander Georg Schröder expressed his thanks to all participants: "The pictures will remain in our memory for a long time. Large parts of our district have been under water, and many people have lost their belongings. The streets were filled with bulky waste. For days, for days fought against the water and provided the affected help. Mitated! ”

The last few weeks have been extremely exhausting for everyone involved, but this crisis shows the remarkable solidity and operational readiness of the fire brigade in the St. Pölten district.