Storm in Styria: 260 firefighters in action!

Storm in Styria: 260 firefighters in action!

On Tuesday afternoon, a strong storm cell moved across Styria and caused considerable damage, especially in Southeast Styria. Cities and municipalities such as St. Stefan, Kohlberg, Perlsdorf and Baairisch Kölldorf were affected. As the Kleine Zeitung reported in Paldau and Oberweißenbach Hailcorns that caused significant damage to fruit trees and vines.

A total of around 260 fire brigade members of 24 weirs were deployed to fix the consequences of the storm. Their most important tasks included tidying up fallen trees, the release of traffic routes and the removal of storm damage to farm buildings. 80 damage locations had already been reported by the afternoon. Smoking in fields and the unclear situation in relation to settlements and houses were also particularly worrying. Individual single -family houses may have lost parts of their roofs.

weather warning and traffic safety

The weather service had already published a thunderstorm warning for the entire afternoon in advance. The road maintenance service was also in use and provided heavy equipment to free the streets of trees and mud. "Under no circumstances will we let people down," said a spokesman for the fire brigade, who praised the quick and coordinated reaction of the weirs. A resident from the region, Kathrin Haas from Haas Obsthof, reported less damage in her area, which may be a touch of happiness in this stormy time.

The consequences for agriculture

Such extreme weather events are not only an issue for the fire brigade. Agriculture is also increasingly faced with the consequences. According to the Federal Environment Agency , drought, hail and other extreme weather events generally lead to significant loss of yield. Hail damage in particular is often a risk for farmers, since these are usually the only type of damage that can be insured. The trend shows that the effort for hail damage has increased significantly since the 1980s.

A comparison shows that between 1990 and 2013 weather risks in Germany caused annual harvest damage of around 510 million euros, 54 % of the damage caused by dryness and drought, 26 % by hail and the rest from storm, heavy rain or frost. The support of the state is becoming increasingly important for many companies, especially in Dürresommer such as 2018, the existence shortages.

It becomes increasingly clear that climate change is not only a challenge in the big cities, but also presents rural areas with serious tasks. In view of the increasing extreme weather events, both the fire brigade and the farmers must continue to be on the hat and prepare for new, unexpected challenges.