Civil defense warning for Viktring, landslide on Magdalensberg

In Carinthia, the districts of Wolfsberg and Völkermarkt, as well as Klagenfurt and Klagenfurt-Land, were hit hard by the heavy rains of the past few days. In Waidisch, residents of four houses had to be evacuated on Friday evening, in Viktring the civil defense alarm had to be triggered and a dam threatened to break.

Urgent appeal to the population!

The amount of discharge from the Treimischer Teich will be increased in order to lower the water level and prevent worse things from happening. This will cause flooding in Viktring. Residents should no longer leave their homes! Don’t go into the basement anymore! Wait for further instructions!

4.45 p.m. Landslide on Magdalensberg

On Saturday there was a large-scale landslide on the Magdalensberg due to the heavy rainfall. As a result, a family had to be evacuated from their home. The Magdalensberger Straße – L85 – is completely closed in the affected area until further notice.

4.20 p.m. Fire brigade and mayor on the current status

In a press conference called at short notice, Mayor Scheider, Wolfgang Germ from the crisis management team and fire director Herbert Schifferl can give the all-clear. All dams are currently secured, and further rainfall up to midnight will not jeopardize the stability. “We were able to prevent the worst,” says Schifferl. The civil defense warning remains in effect, according to Germ, the fire brigades are still on the alert. More than 200 missions are still to be completed. These will be processed one by one.

Although the Rekabach or the Sattnitz also have high water levels or sometimes overflow due to the targeted outflow of the Treimischer Teich, everyone is certain that the right decision was made. The risk of a dam breach was too great. “Then Viktring would have been lost,” says Schifferl.

He asks the public for patience. Due to the high groundwater level and the persistent rainfall, it is currently not advisable in most cases to pump out basements. The emergency services will be busy with the clean-up work for a few more days.

Germ, Scheider and Schifferl (from left) at the press conference © Marco-William Ninaus

3.30 p.m. Nice gesture by Austria Klagenfurt

The derby against the WAC had to be canceled due to the flooding, Austria Klagenfurt made people sit up and take notice with a nice campaign: The food prepared for the match day can be picked up at the south cash desk from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. for volunteers and for residents who have no electricity. “In addition to the food, there is also a cake buffet, which was provided by parents from the offspring of Austria, and an ice chest full of Krappfeld ice cream. We will also bring the food to the professional fire brigade ourselves,” says Austria.

3 p.m. Another crisis meeting

The rain in Klagenfurt doesn’t really stop, the emergency services have met again for the crisis talks. “The current operations were discussed,” says Mayor Christian Scheider. At 3.30 p.m. the city wants to report on the current situation.

2.45 p.m. Houses in Ferlach remain evacuated

On Friday, four houses in Unterwaidisch in the municipality of Ferlach were evacuated for safety reasons. The evacuation will remain in place at least until Sunday, says Mayor Ingo Appé (SPÖ): “The army is still cleaning up the catchment area.” On Saturday there were mudflows in Bodental, Loibltal or Waidisch. The roughest work has been done, but the situation is still unstable. 160 operations were completed in the last 48 hours.

“The Glan is giving us problems,” says Maria Saal Mayor Franz Pfaller (SPÖ). The mobile flood protection is installed in Karnburg. Streams overflow their banks in the municipal area, and the rising groundwater level floods numerous cellars. The situation is still under control if the weather doesn’t deteriorate, says Pfaller.

2 p.m. Derby canceled due to flooding

Due to the current weather situation, the Bundesliga soccer game SK Austria vs. WAC planned for today in the 28 Black Arena has been cancelled. The flood events also have an impact on the domestic Bundesliga. Today’s football derby has been canceled by the provincial capital of Klagenfurt in coordination with the state of Carinthia. SK Austria would have played against WAC at 5 p.m. today, but the emergency services are otherwise tied up due to the current events. In addition, there would have been massive parking problems on site.

12.10 p.m. Local photo inspection

11.30 a.m. Sewer network at the limit of its capacity

The enormous amounts of rain are currently also putting a massive strain on the state capital’s public sewer system. In some places, water is already leaking out of the canals. Special caution is therefore requested. The population is also asked not to pump the water that has entered the public sewer system using private pumps on their own. “The city’s sewer system has now reached its load limit. In order to prevent the system from being totally overloaded, I am asking for the help of all citizens. Please do not under any circumstances open the manhole cover and under no circumstances discharge dirty water into the public sewer system,” appeals waste disposal officer Sandra Aquarius.

11.10 a.m. Mayor cautiously optimistic

11 am Also flooded shelter Garden of Eden

The Klagenfurt animal shelter Garten Eden was also hit by the flood. Floors and channels could no longer absorb the water. When looking for help with a pump, those responsible were able to find what they were looking for. Mutual help is very important in these hours.

10:50 Slight signs of relaxation

The water from the Treimischer Teich is drained off in a controlled manner, flows down to Viktring into the Sattnitz, then into the Glan. As a local inspection shows, the dam can be successfully held by the emergency services, the situation is stabilizing, but according to the emergency services, the danger is not over yet.

10 a.m. This is the current situation at Treimischer Teich

9.50 a.m. Feverish work at the Treimischer Teich

Statement by Colonel Ralf Gigacher from the Austrian Armed Forces on the situation at Treimischer Teich:

9.15 a.m. civil defense warning repeated

Tension in Viktring, the dam is holding, but the Treimischer pond is causing enormous problems. He has reached a dangerous water level. For this reason, the civil defense warning has just been repeated. The sirens call out civil defense alarm. The population is asked not to leave the apartments and to go to higher areas within the living rooms and not to go into the basement. To prevent the dam bursting, the pond’s discharge rate will be increased in a controlled manner, which will result in spot flooding.

9.12 am Dam is stable

Good news: the enormous effort around the dam that is about to collapse in Viktring has paid off so far. The dam holds! Pumps are still running to support natural drainage. A worker on site says that the same amount of water is currently coming in as is running off.

9 a.m. “Situation never experienced before”

“I have never experienced such a dramatic situation in my entire professional career. The fire brigades and the Austrian Armed Forces are in constant use. We ask the population to refrain from unnecessary trips and to follow the instructions of the emergency services. This makes our work easier and helps us to reach the countless locations quickly,” says Deputy Fire Director Wolfgang Germ, head of the professional fire brigade’s crisis management team.

8.45 a.m. Karnburg is also affected

The enormous amounts of water are also affecting the emergency services in the Karnburg area. The Glan is flooded, some roads are closed.

8 a.m. Army in continuous operation

The team of the professional fire brigade and the pioneers of the Carinthian military command have already filled 4000 sandbags since Friday afternoon. “We have 33 men on site,” says Sergeant Gottfried Theuermann. The fire brigade organizes the sand, and new deliveries keep coming.

7.45 a.m. Hundreds of basements under water

According to Wolfgang Germ, head of the fire department’s crisis management team, hundreds of basements in Klagenfurt are under water. From a water level of 15 centimeters, the population can report to the fire brigade. There are problems at the Treimischer pond. The road in this area was washed away and heavy equipment was requested from the army.

7.15 pizzeria under water

Water at Pizzeria Mario in Viktring. There is a good 15 centimeters of water in the restaurant, all the furniture and many devices are broken. “It’s a disaster,” says owner Mario Murtezani.

6.30 a.m.: mudslides in Pitzelstätten

At 5 a.m., the crisis team was called up again, reports Wolfgang Germ from the Klagenfurt professional fire brigade. Numerous cellars are under water in Viktring.

During the night, above Pitzelstätten, there was a mudslide on Tentschacher Straße. Nobody got hurt. A tractor is currently clearing the way. “It’s pretty critical here, hopefully there won’t be any more rain,” says Philipp Wernig, landowner.

6.15 a.m .: Treimischer Teich overflows

The Treimischer Teich is currently being “controlled”, says Franz Maidic, the reservoir manager. The fire brigades are currently clearing sandbags in Viktring, and the crisis team is currently advising how to proceed. Although the pond crosses over in a controlled manner, “it is still critical for Viktring,” says the person responsible.

6 a.m.: Access to the lido is closed

The area around the Klagenfurt lido is also affected by flooding. The driveway had to be closed on Friday evening.

5.45 a.m.: The rain will subside

The hopeful news of the day: According to forecasts, no more heavy rain is expected in Carinthia on Saturday. In Upper Carinthia it will stop raining in the course of the morning, it will rain the longest in Lower Carinthia.

5.30 a.m .: Civil defense alarm still up

The civil defense alert for Viktring is still active. The dam on Karl-Truppe Strasse is about to break. Late on Friday evening, the fire brigades were able to give the all-clear and some of the water masses could be diverted by pumping. 200 meters of hose were laid for this.

The development from Friday to read: