Flood analysis

Fire departments prepare for future floods

The flood operations and the causes of the floods are being analyzed in detail.(Bild: krone.tv)

The flood operations in September are meticulously analyzed and evaluated. Insights already gained: Communication with hydrologists and meteorologists is to be improved in future. 

Two months have already passed since the devastating floods, but the consequences are still clearly noticeable in many places. However, the focus has long been on preventing such disasters in the future - the analysis of the floods is in full swing.

Operations are being scrutinized
This also applies to the fire department. "We are working intensively in our staffs, particularly on alert chains and forecasting models," explains Deputy Fire Chief Martin Boyer. The events in September have already brought one insight: the Florianis want to strengthen communication with hydrology and meteorologists. "So that we are even better informed, even better prepared and even better equipped," says Boyer.

Provincial Vice-President Pernkopf (3rd from left) with practitioners who have been involved in flood operations(Bild: NLK/Filzwieser)

Drawing the right conclusions
The state is also working at full speed with the fire departments to draw the right conclusions. "We are relying on expertise from theory and practice - in other words, on emergency services who have secured dams and fought floods, as well as on hydrologists and hydraulic engineering experts," says Stephan Pernkopf, Vice Provincial Minister. The hydraulic engineering laboratory in Vienna, where up to 10,000 liters of water flow through a test channel every second, plays a central role. This enables extensive analyses to be carried out on river design, torrent control and technical flood protection measures. Aerial photographs taken during the disaster to document the water impact lines and dams will also help.

Initial measures already in place
The purchase of additional high-performance pumps for the fire department was decided as an immediate measure. The expansion of flood protection will continue until 2040, with one billion euros earmarked for this purpose. Pernkopf: "A third of this sum will be invested in more retention dams and river widening to give the water more space again."