After the flood

From house to house with paddle and boat

All seven houses on the right-hand side had to be evacuated.(Bild: Katja Bieche)

The construction of flood protection for some properties in Poppichl should soon prevent this.

Water as far as the eye can see, seven evacuated houses, flooded cellars - that was the devastating flood last summer. The village of Poppichl in the municipality of Maria Saal was also affected. The Glan burst its banks here after the extreme rainfall. "It was enormous. The houses right next to the river were only navigable by boat," explains the mayor of Maria Saal, Franz Pfaller.

Different than expected
The residents of Poppichl had assumed that the Zollfeld retention basin would hold back the water, but this was not the case. "The retention basin is designed for a 100-year flood and cannot be controlled by humans on site. Sensors are installed that measure how much water is flowing through, which means that this structure either closes or doesn't close," adds Franz Pfaller.

Flood protection is being built
To date, mobile flood protection in the form of 15-metre long, orange hoses filled with 40,000 liters of water have been built on site. This will be a thing of the past in Poppichl in future, the municipality and the state have reacted. Construction of the permanent flood protection will begin this fall. "The protective wall will be attached to the fence bases around the affected houses. This should stop the water in an emergency. The cost is around 1.3 million euros," says the mayor of Maria Saal.

Waiting for money
Hopes are high among the population. A local resident says: "We are grateful that construction is starting this year. A lot of damage has been done and now we can only wait for the funding!"