First scorching heat, then violent thunderstorms with lots of rain: In Switzerland, storms have triggered mudslides, floods and landslides. The town of Brienz is particularly affected.
Brienz – In part of the Swiss town of Brienz in the holiday region of Lake Brienz, piles of rubble, some of them several meters high, are piling up in the streets after a severe storm. On Monday evening, the heavy rain washed wood and rubble into the Mühlebach on the Rothorn mountain and blocked the drain. The stream overflowed its banks and with it boulders and tree trunks thundered through the town. In the Aenderdorf district, houses were partially buried by the rubble and mudslide. Windows and doors were crushed and lower floors were flooded. Some cars were washed away by the flow of rubble.
The approximately 500 residents of the idyllic town on Lake Brienz are in shock. There were no casualties. The authorities had brought around 70 residents to safety before the severe storm. “It’s hard to imagine what would have happened if we hadn’t had the flood protection measures that we have built in recent years,” said municipal council president Peter Zumbrunn.
Catchment corners for debris were not sufficient
Only a few years ago, a catch basin for debris from the mountain was built above the village on the Mühlebach. However, it was full within a very short time. According to the weather service Meteoschweiz, a third of the amount of rain that is normally expected in a whole August had fallen in the region within an hour. According to radar estimates, up to 80 millimeters were recorded locally. Rainfall of 1 millimeter corresponds to one liter of water per square meter.
As a result, rubble and mud poured into the streets. The main road and the railway tracks were also partially buried. Replacement buses were in operation.
After days of scorching heat with temperatures reaching 35 degrees and more, more than 70,000 lightning strikes struck Switzerland on Monday evening. Heavy rainfall caused flooding, landslides and mudslides. Several thunderstorm cells developed around Lake Brienz, causing heavy rainfall and moving on only slowly.
Problems also in Grindelwald and Lake Lucerne
Thunderstorms and hail also occurred elsewhere in the Bernese Oberland and in the canton of Bern. In the Grindelwald valley, mudslides occurred, partially burying roads and the railway line. There, too, the holiday resort of Grindelwald could only be reached via a detour.
The Bern building insurance company GVB estimated the damage in the Bernese Oberland at 25 to 30 million francs (up to around 31 million euros). It received around 200 damage reports within a few hours. dpa
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