After the storm

The danger of mudslides has still not been averted

Experts from the torrent control department have built a wall to protect the settlement.(Bild: Hronek Eveline)

After a huge mudslide in the summer of 2023, residents of the village of Terpetzen in Carinthia were not allowed back into their homes for two months. And neighboring Klein St. Veit was flooded several times. 

"The danger has not yet been averted, something could happen again at any time," fears Jakob Christof. He has lived in Terpetzen near Klein St. Veit for a good 60 years. He will never forget the 5th of August last year, when tons of mud thundered past his house: "It was horrible!" Margarete Kucher also remembers: "The mudslide thundered through our garden. The bad feeling has stayed with me ever since." The residents of the detached houses in the affected area had to be evacuated to safety. Christof: "We weren't allowed back into our houses for two months."

"That was madness!"
One slope was covered in cracks and threatened to slide down. "That was madness! Just a few years earlier, an ice storm had destroyed parts of the forest and the previous year's storm had snapped the trees like matchsticks," says neighbor and firefighter Johannes Laßnig. He had been digging near the houses for weeks, removing material. "Hundreds of loads of rubble were taken away in trucks," says landowner Erich Zeiner. In the meantime, the torrent and avalanche control staff have done a great job. A catch basin has been built above the houses. In the danger zone next to the houses, meter-high mounds of earth have been piled up.

Margarete Kucher still lives in fear.(Bild: Hronek Eveline)

Deputy mayor Peter Wedenig and head of the building authority Armin Alic: A catch basin is being planned for Klein St. Veit.(Bild: Hronek Eveline)

Jakob Christof is also still very worried.(Bild: Hronek Eveline)

Massive problems during heavy rain
Fire brigade commander Bernhard Zeiner: "They should drain off material in an emergency." In heavy rain, however, the residents have to leave. There were also massive problems in Klein St. Veit. Zeiner: "The village was flooded eight times." For this reason, a catch basin for surface water is to be built near Seeberg Straße. Deputy Mayor Peter Wedenig: "The residents have to play along, a cooperative has to be founded." Two million euros will be invested.