After Severe Weather in Lower Austria: Federal Army Assistance Operation Concluded

The final tasks, slope stabilisations in Kirchberg an der Pielach in the St. Pölten district, were successfully completed on Thursday, according to the announcement by the Ministry of Defence on Friday. During the peak phase of the operation, more than 1,500 soldiers were deployed at the same time.

Federal Army Assistance Operation: Cleanup in Several Regions After Flooding in Lower Austria

St. Pölten. The assistance operation started on September 15. According to the announcement, the federal army carried out three life-saving operations. Around 100 people were brought to safety using winch rescue, numerous people were evacuated using boats. Helicopters transported "Big Bags" with a total weight of more than 1,000 tons to plug broken dams and secure others. On the ground, about 200 vehicles, tanks and construction machinery covered 50,000 kilometres. In addition, the army's engineers cleared 16 blockages, secured nine large-scale landslides and erected three temporary bridges among other things.

The soldiers were also active in cleanup work, including the transport and storage of rubbish. According to the ministry, this work focused on the Tullnerfeld, the Pielachtal and the Waldviertel. In total, 24,500 person-days were spent on the operation, which corresponds to about 94 years of full-time work at an average five-day week without vacation. Defence Minister Klaudia Tanner (ÖVP) highlighted the "tireless effort". "Our soldiers are always there when others can no longer cope and are in distress. They proved this again this year during the assistance operation in Lower Austria."

(APA/Red)

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