Flooding in Upper Austria? “Warning limits are likely to be reached”

There is disturbing news that reaches us on Saturday afternoon from neighboring Bavaria: Due to heavy rainfall, the flood situation there is becoming increasingly serious. In the districts augsburgAichach-Friedberg and Günzburg a state of emergency was declared. In affected regions, people had to be brought to safety by boat.

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Memories of the 2013 flood

The headlines bring back bad memories of the flood that caused devastating damage in Upper Austria eleven years ago: At the beginning of June 2013, the flood broke over Upper Austria with full force and kept emergency services busy for days. From a current perspective, a similarly dramatic scenario can be ruled out, said Reinhard Enzenebner from the Hydrographic Service of Upper Austria in an interview with OÖNachrichten on Saturday afternoon.

• From the archive: Memories of the 2013 flood: “I wanted to grow old here and raise my children”

“We were lucky that the heaviest rainfall fell quite far to the west of us,” says the expert. Nevertheless, the water levels will rise in the next few hours and days. “The warning limits on the Danube and Inn are likely to be reached,” said Enzenebner. However, at least from the current perspective, there is no threat of major damage. It is not yet possible to predict exactly how high the water levels will rise.

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Emergency services on standby

The water levels on the Inn and Salzach should continue to rise in the afternoon and evening, with the highest levels expected by midnight. The fire brigade is on standby in Schärding, and the first part of the mobile flood protection was set up in the afternoon. Fire brigade commander Markus Furtner does not expect any major flood damage, however. “We are assuming that the Inn river will be slightly flooded during the night, but we are not expecting anything more than that at the moment,” he says.

Inland closed

A rise of over five meters was expected for the night, which is why the Innlände was closed and the gates to the old town were closed with mobile flood barriers. For comparison: the normal water level of the Inn in Schärding is 380 to 420 centimeters. In the evening, the weather forecast will be looked at more closely in order to be well prepared for the night.

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