Lower Austria breathes a sigh of relief

Dam burst: Hadersdorf was filled with anxious hope

Breathe a sigh of relief: the sandbag barriers in Hadersdorf am Kamp held firm.(Bild: Attila Molnar)

Helicopters in the air, hundreds of firefighters on the ground: Hadersdorf (Lower Austria) was a hotspot for storm operations. The all-clear was given early Tuesday morning.

All eyes have been on Hadersdorf am Kamp over the past few days. Two disaster relief platoons from Upper Austria supported the local emergency services in securing a broken dam. On both sides, water from the Gschinzbach stream is flowing onto surrounding fields. In the municipality, 85 houses and 70 apartments had to be evacuated.

3500 sandbags
In order to protect this settlement in the best possible way, a wall with 3,500 sandbags was erected overnight. "In the event of a dam bursting, residential areas in Hadersdorf as well as Kammern and Straß im Straßertale are at risk," warned District Fire Brigade Commander Martin Boyer.

It didn't come to that, partly because Black Hawk helicopters secured the dam with big packs weighing several tons. However, a fish pond in Bösendürnbach, which contains 90 million liters of water, also had to be monitored in the region. Water from the pond is continuously being drained.

"The Kamp is currently relaxed"
Mayor Heinrich Becker: "The situation in the Kamp is currently relaxed. If it continues to rain, we have room to maneuver thanks to the flood barriers." According to Becker, the situation could ease once the rain has stopped and he also thanks the many volunteers who provided help during the difficult time.

On Tuesday morning, the (first) all-clear was given: according to Mayor Becker, the water levels have dropped and the dams have not given way.