Storm summer in Salzburg: 41.3 million euros in damage
The state of Salzburg presented the balance sheet after the storms last summer on Friday. Accordingly, the total damage is 41.3 million euros.
The traces of the floods and mudslides after the heavy rain events in July and August of this year are still clearly visible in many places in the state. The country’s disaster fund helps quickly and unbureaucratically, the money for those affected is now running gradually. “In total, 4.9 million euros in subsidies were approved by the fund commission, of which 1.62 million euros are being paid out,” says Regional Councilor Josef Schwaiger.
Overall, the state’s disaster fund expects total damage of 41.3 million euros in the entire state of Salzburg, which was caused by the extreme events in July and August. “An unbelievable extent of damage, 300 residential buildings were damaged in Hallein alone,” emphasizes Provincial Councilor Josef Schwaiger.
80 percent of the applications from Hallein dealt with
Hallein’s center was hit particularly hard by the raging Kothbach. To date, 149 applications have been submitted from the district capital. “The Commission of the Disaster Fund was presented with 120 applications with an aid amount of 1.4 million for the current decision, of which 600,000 euros were transferred immediately. For cases in which particularly rapid help was required, we have already received 135,000 euros in the past few weeks The injured party is paid out “, summarizes Schwaiger. The remaining applications will be processed when all documents are available.
July floods: 30.6 million damage
The floods in July this year damaged 388 residential buildings, 300 of them in Hallein, with a total damage of twelve million euros. In addition, the communities of Neukirchen, Bramberg, Stuhlfelden, Uttendorf, Niedernsill and Kuchl were severely affected. With a total of 73 damages in the amount of eleven million euros. In addition, there were 2,200 hectares of agricultural land where damage totaled 5.6 million euros, around two million for rural infrastructure such as goods and forest roads, bridges and access roads. “The massive flooding of agricultural land made a major contribution to the fact that settlement areas were not so badly affected,” recalls Provincial Councilor Schwaiger.
August storms hit 230 buildings in Pongau
The storms that followed in August caused further damage, especially in the communities of St. Johann im Pongau, Wagrain, Flachau and Altenmarkt. The Disaster Fund estimates the amount of damage caused by this event at eleven million euros. Once again, floods and mudslides hit businesses, agricultural areas and infrastructure in the country. The Krimml train station (municipality of Wald um Pinzgau) was devastated by mudslides three times.
Fund expects 20 million euros in aid
“Last summer showed us once again that. Extreme weather events. In the Oberpinzgau alone, around 100 million euros have been invested in flood prevention over the past decade.