Clear Up Underway After St Anton Hit by Flash Floods
19th August 2024
Last modified on August 21st, 2024
Buildings have been destroyed, homes flooded & cars swept away in the Austrian resort. The ski slopes and lift infrastructure have been damaged and remain closed. UPDATED
2,000 people live in the village and 35 buildings have been damaged with no reported loss of life or serious injury.
All lift services were suspended on Sunday, August 18th.
According to the Tyrolian District Fire Department 24 fire trucks and 250 personnel were deployed to help St. Anton.
Some of the hotels have suffered damage and are unable to accommodate guests.
The Arlberg Pass access road saw large sections destroyed by a landslide.
Videos of the damage have been posted on social media:
De Arlberg regio getroffen door hevige overstromingen en modderlawines. Dit zijn beelden vanuit St Anton. 📷Matthias Schloss pic.twitter.com/L6KmpUyyia
— Michael vd Poel (@WeermanMichael) August 17, 2024
View this post on Instagram
The flood came down the Kandahar ski run above the village that is used for World Cup races.
It remains unclear how badly the race course is damaged.
The mayor estimates that the clean-up will take weeks, with roads and retention basins needing extensive repairs.
St Anton was hit by landslides and floods in 1999 and 2005, but this year’s floods are reported to be the worst.
The resort has posted a full update on the current situation – see here for full details.
St Anton. Image c/o PlanetSKI
“Heavy storms have done great damage in many parts of Austria,” Austria’s Chancellor Karl Nehammer wrote on his Twitter/X account, “Thank you to all the emergency service crews who give everything they can to help their fellow human beings and to repair the damage.”
Heavy rain fell over the weekend in many parts of Austria with the capital Vienna under water in places.
Neighbouring Switzerland has also seen heavy rain.
In June, Zermatt was hit by severe flooding as we reported at the time:
More to follow…
