Image: Epa
Earthquakes in Austria are an underestimated risk and a number of buildings in Austria are at risk: This is the conclusion drawn by the Association of Austrian Insurance Companies (VVO) in a statistic published this week.
Accordingly, earthquakes in this country lead to damage to buildings every two to three years. Around 23 percent of the buildings in Austria are also at risk of collapsing or being badly damaged in earthquakes. Most of the affected buildings were built before 1945, when there were no corresponding structural specifications. It is therefore all the more important to ensure that a building is in good structural condition and to carry out structural reinforcement, according to the VVO.
More than 50 earthquakes would occur in Austria every year. However, 98 percent of the compatriots did not rate earthquakes as a “relevant danger”.
Several earthquakes in Austria
There have been some earthquakes recently. On March 30, Gloggnitz in Lower Austria was hit with a magnitude of 4.2 on the Richter scale, last weekend there was another earthquake in the village with a magnitude of 1.3. The earth also recently shook in Sankt Veit/Glan in Carinthia and in Pertisau in Tyrol.
The VVO criticizes that there is no nationwide insurance solution in Austria. “For Austria-wide insurability of this natural hazard, we need a legal framework that makes it possible to provide insurance cover across the board. Unfortunately, we have not yet been able to get any support from politicians,” says VVO Vice President Klaus Scheitegel. In the event of a severe earthquake, billions in damage can be expected.
The strongest earthquake in recent decades occurred in Austria on April 16, 1972 in Seebenstein in Lower Austria with a magnitude of 5.4. The result was considerable damage to buildings and infrastructure. In May 1976 there was an earthquake in Friuli with a magnitude of 6.5 – the quake was felt in almost all of Austria and caused considerable damage to buildings in southern Austria.
In the event of an earthquake, you should stay indoors, seek shelter under a door frame or table and stay away from buildings outdoors, the VVO advises.
Source: Nachrichten