Storm trivialized?

Expert: “ORF criminals endanger human lives”

A top meteorologist harshly criticizes ORF's weather reporting in Lower Austria. The reason: shortly before an impending flood disaster, an ORF TV presenter described the weather as "relatively bland". "If people die in Lower Austria, the ORF also has them on its conscience", the expert warned against a dangerous trivialization.

Early on Friday morning, the Austrian Severe Weather Center declared the highest warning level in some Austrian regions. In Lower Austria, Upper Austria, Styria and also in Vienna, the day began with heavy and partly freezing rain.

No mention of imminent flooding
In the weather report on "Niederösterreich Heute" on Thursday evening, there is no mention of this dramatic situation. "Brrr ... pretty cold", presenter Clemens Krautzer whimsically begins the report. A total of 300 liters per square meter is expected in parts of Lower Austria. "That's quite a lot," he explains succinctly.

Meteorologist Jörg Kachelmann then described those responsible at ORF Niederösterreich as "criminals" and linked to the report:

The state warning center in Lower Austria, on the other hand, also sees the situation somewhat differently. The highest flood warning level 3 was issued. However, there is no mention of imminent flooding in the ORF report.

"They act as if 300 millimetres of rain is just a small inconvenience, not a word about the effects and a little banter about it, it will soon be over," says Kachelmann, annoyed that the population is not warned enough about the consequences of the water volumes in the ORF Lower Austria report.

Up to 30-year flood events threaten in some places 
According to the forecast, a five-year (HQ5) to ten-year (HQ10) flood event is to be expected on the Danube. Up to 30-year events (HQ30) could even occur on the tributary rivers - in some areas it could even be more severe.

In these articles you can see the preparations of the fire departments in Grafenwörth and Grub am Wienerwald:

In endangered regions, such as Melk, hundreds of sandbags have already been prepared to be ready against the masses of water. Several events planned for the weekend have been canceled, including the Wachau Marathon.

ORF Lower Austria counters: "Weather has been an issue for days"
The ORF in Lower Austria defended itself against the accusations: "The threatening weather situation in Lower Austria and the rest of the country has been a topic in all ORF Lower Austria media for days", said ORF regional director Alexander Hofer. For example, there was a live feed from Zöbing, where the fire department had prepared for the worst. There were also reports about the cancellation of the Wachau Marathon.