The fire department takes stock

Storms in Übelbach: “The world has come to an end!”

A catastrophe occurred on the Silberberg in Übelbach when the road suddenly collapsed. The residents had to leave their homes indefinitely.(Bild: FF Übelbach-Markt)

The emergency services didn't sleep for two days after the severe storms began in Übelbach. A road collapsed in the village, trapping even the firefighters. Twelve residents, some of them very elderly, had to be rescued by police helicopter in a dramatic operation. One week after the storm, the local fire chief took stock.

There were dramatic moments in the 1966-soul village of Übelbach last Saturday when the heavens opened their floodgates and almost engulfed the community. "The world came to an end here. We were on our own," says Rene Rieger, commander of the volunteer fire department, a week after the brutal events.

"Luckily we bought a Pinzgauer"
The Übelbach became a raging flood that cut off all traffic routes. "Luckily, we bought an old Pinzgauer and fixed it up ourselves. We were able to handle some very difficult operations with it." There were 137 call-outs within six days. "We didn't sleep for the first two days," says Andreas Brandauer, who answered the emergency calls as a dispatcher. "You didn't even know where your head was anymore." They only pumped out their own cellars days later. 

We would be grateful for unbureaucratic help for the fire departments after such severe weather disasters, for example for the purchase of new uniforms or boots.

Rene Rieger, Kommandant der FF Übelbach

"Our own people were trapped"
The most emotional operation was at Silberberg: seven detached houses with 20 residents had to be evacuated because the access road collapsed. All that remained was a crater, the houses were in danger of sliding down. But nobody had any idea when the fire department arrived. Rieger: "And suddenly four of my own people were trapped."

The Ministry of the Interior helicopter evacuated the trapped residents(Bild: FF Übelbach)

Police helicopter pilot Wolfgang Hofer kept an overview and flew twelve people out: "The special thing was that some of them were very elderly people who had to leave their homes." It is unclear if and when they will be allowed to return. The fire department is currently helping the residents to care for their animals. In total, the local firefighters were deployed for 2,200 hours and saved 27 lives.