For weeks, the sun has been warming the Alpine air, with temperatures sometimes exceeding 35 degrees. The storm that followed this high pressure has dropped more than 70,000 lightning bolts on Swiss territory. “It was as if the world was coming to an end,” describes Helga, a German tourist who was spending her holiday hiking in the Alps. “The whole night was lit up and torrential rain kept falling. We feared for our lives and took refuge in a private house where they opened the door for us.”
Civil protection authorities have barely had time to react. The heavy rains, which came unexpectedly, caused flooding, landslides and debris flows. Particularly around Lake Brienz, about 75 kilometres south-east of Bern, several storm cells developed, burying villages and crops.
Some small rivers have turned into torrents. The Milibach, which usually has only a slight current, has burst its banks, carrying debris and wood from higher up into the streets. “We were at home and we saw a river of mud passing by the window, sweeping everything away in its path,” says the mayor of Grindelwald in the Bernese Oberland, whose train station has also been flooded by mud, cutting off the village. Around 70 people were taken to safety as a precaution because their houses were at risk of flooding.
According to the regional authority for Upper Brienz (RFO), no one is missing. Zurich airport has been forced to divert two dozen flights. Rail and sea connections to Brienz have been interrupted and some mountain passes have also been closed. The authorities are establishing alternative routes.
One of the most dangerous situations has been caused by a rockfall on the Axenstraße at Lake Lucerne in central Switzerland. The road runs directly under a rock massif on the southern side of the lake and along its shore. Monitoring systems had already indicated ground movements, so the canton of Uri had already closed the road as a precaution. The Federal Road Authority (Astra) is currently inspecting the possible damage from a helicopter, but it has not yet been possible to draw up a damage assessment.
Residents shocked
The masses of rain and mud have flooded the Mühlebach on the Rothorn mountain and blocked the drains. The river burst its banks, sending rocks and tree trunks crashing down the slope towards the village. In the district of Aenderdorf, houses were partially buried by debris and the landslide. Windows and doors have been smashed and the lower floors buried. The approximately 500 residents of this idyllic village on Lake Brienz are in shock. There have been no casualties, but it will be very difficult to restore the houses.
“We don’t even know what the insurance will cover and we are currently homeless,” lamented one of the 70 residents who had been rescued by the authorities. “It is difficult to imagine what would have happened if we had not had the flood protection measures we had built in recent years,” said the chairman of the municipal council, Peter Zumbrunn.
Only a few years ago, a collection pond for mountain loads was built above the village on the Mühlebach. However, it was filled up in a very short time and did not provide any protection when, according to the MeteoSwiss weather service, a third of the amount of rain expected for an entire month of August fell in the region in one hour. According to radar estimates, up to 80 litres per square metre. As a result, debris and mud spilled onto the streets. The main road and railway tracks were also partially buried. Replacement buses are following alternative routes until further notice.
