Storm chaos in Vorarlberg and Tyrol: Festival tent collapses! 4 injuries!

Storm chaos in Vorarlberg and Tyrol: Festival tent collapses! 4 injuries!

Gaißau, Österreich - violent storms hit large parts of Western Austria, especially Vorarlberg and Tyrol, last weekend. Strong gusts of wind and intensive heavy rain led to numerous fire brigade missions and caused local damage. Around 40 fire brigade operations were necessary in Vorarlberg on Saturday evening. A special event was the collapse of a marquee during a fire brigade festival in Gaißau, in which four people were slightly injured. District Fire Brigade Inspector Reinhard Karg described the incident as "huge happiness", since the emergency services searched intensively for other people in the tent, but were not found any further injuries.

In numerous communities such as Feldkirch and Rankweil, fallen trees had to be cleared by streets. In Bludenz, too, there were dangerous situations when a tree threatened to overthrow vehicles. In Klösterle a stream came over the bank and provided additional defensive measures. Another large setback was the interruption of rail traffic on the route from Lindau to Bludenz due to an overhead line damage. Fortunately, despite these massive damage, there was no injured in Tyrol.

situation in Tirol

In Tyrol, the storm front was clearly noticeable on Sunday afternoon with violent rain showers and strong gusts of wind. Here the Tyrol control center recorded around 30 fire brigade operations. In Baumkirchen, a district in the Innsbruck-Land district, a larger tree fell on a residential building, which luckily went out. Rücken trees also led to short -term roadblocks, including on the Götzener Landesstraße (L 12) between Götzens and Völs. The municipalities of Wörgl, Kirchbichl, Angath and Angerberg were also affected by power outages that left several thousand people without electricity. The majority of the disorders were remedied shortly after 6 p.m.

In the community of Jenbach, Keller had to be pumped out, which were affected by the violent rains. According to the reports, the damage caused by the storms remains to be quantified for the time being, but it is already clear that such extreme weather events are becoming increasingly common.

long -term effects and climate crisis

These storms of weather fit into a larger trend, because extreme weather events in Austria caused damage of over one billion euros in Austria. These sums result from various weather extremes such as storms, hail and floods from heavy rain. Rémi Vrignaud, President of the Austrian Insurance Association (VVO), emphasizes the need for prevention towards natural hazards that increase through climate change. In 2023, a total of 12,478 warnings of the highest warning levels in Austria were published, which shows that almost every community was affected. The scientific general director of Geosphere Austria, Andreas Schaffhauser, emphasizes that understandable warnings are crucial for the reaction of the population.

While the population is increasingly concerned about the increasing natural disasters, surveys show that 69% of Austrians consider changes in behavior to combat climate change. In view of the predictions of the insurance industry, which expect further record damage figures for 2024, it is clear that serious measures are necessary to adapt to the new normality of extreme weather. Authorities and organizations are already working on strategies for better cooperation and communication to be prepared for the upcoming challenges.