The heavy rainfall of recent days has led to severe flooding in Vienna. Houses had to be evacuated, the subway is out of service for days, and beach bars were devastated. Nevertheless, the residents of Vienna remain surprisingly calm.
The Viennese are not easily impressed. Beate Wist stands on the Reichsbrücke and looks down at the Danube, which carries enormous brown waters. “Yes, it is a higher water level,” says the 75-year-old. “But all this fuss is a bit exaggerated,” she finds. She only came because she lives nearby and several acquaintances called to ask if she was safe.
Due to the storm gusts, Wist holds her yellow raincoat at the collar and recalls the floods of 1954 that she experienced as a child. She points towards Mexikoplatz at the bridgehead. It was underwater back then. Now, not even the green spaces are flooded. However, Wist admits that it must be bad in the western part of the city and gets back in her car.
The artificial New Danube runs parallel to the main stream and was created as a relief watercourse in case of flooding.
The Danube Canal running through the city center has overflowed, flooding many establishments.
Beate Wist looks over the Danube towards Mexikoplatz. During the floods in 1954, this area was still underwater.
The Danube Island saves the city from larger disasters
The fact that the flooding situation in Vienna is not as bad as in 1954, despite the enormous precipitation amounts of recent days, is not a coincidence. The disaster back then sparked new debates about improving flood protection. They led to the idea of creating a second riverbed that would be separated from the main bed of the Danube by a stretched island and into which the floodwaters could be diverted. Thus, in the 1970s and 1980s, the more than twenty kilometers long Danube Island was created, now a popular recreational area.
Even on this Sunday, people are out here. However, most are not out for walks or cycling, but to get a glimpse of the 30-year flood of the Danube – an event that statistically occurs only every 30 years. A man stands at the shore filming with his smartphone. He says he has never seen the river so high. All the ships are anchored; they can no longer pass under the bridges.
What stands out is the flow rate of the New Danube, the so-called relief watercourse. It typically flows gently, but now it rushes as fast as the main river. The establishments along the banks, popular in summer, stand almost completely underwater. A slightly elevated terrace of the tavern Sokrates is still walkable. From the opposite Copa Beach, due to the water level, only half of the oversized red lettering is still visible.
Despite the police barrier, dozens go down to the canal.
At the tavern Sokrates on the New Danube, the terrace is underwater.
On the bridges and along the waters, onlookers document the event.
“Stay at home if possible,” advises Radio Wien
Just a week ago, many enjoyed the seemingly endless summer, with temperatures exceeding 30 degrees measured again. This year, in the second warmest summer on record, Vienna has recorded over 40 such hot days. Especially August and the first days of September were exceptionally hot, and some were longing for the change in weather this week – but not for these water masses and the temperature drop of over 20 degrees.
“Are you from bird rescue?” a searching woman asks at the exit of the Danube Island subway station. Migratory birds, particularly swallows, are struggling to find food due to the storms, and flying conditions for the journey south are poor. Animal Protection Austria issued a call on Saturday to care for weakened, grounded birds and report them to the animal emergency service. The woman has collected swallows with acquaintances and is now waiting for help.
“Stay at home if possible,” Radio Wien repeatedly cautions. However, in the afternoon, the rainfall eases somewhat, and many take the opportunity to document the historic event. Along Vienna’s waters and on the bridges, dozens of people stand with smartphones ready. Many wear warm coats, rain pants, and rubber boots.
At Urania, a barrier tape does not prevent people from walking down the street to the Danube Canal, where the flood has also devastated a popular summer establishment. The water level reaches up to the path along the canal. Two police officers sternly shoo away the onlookers. “We’re not blocking off because it’s fun, but because it’s dangerous,” explains the officer.
In the city center, little is felt of the state of emergency. Tourists stand in groups in front of St. Stephen’s Cathedral and stroll through the Graben. At Café de l’Europe, a few brave souls sit outside, as almost all year round, though under blankets and heat lamps.
The Danube Island is a popular recreational area in Vienna, but also a flood protection.
The situation became particularly threatening at the Wienfluss, usually a stream.
A flooded garage in the Penzing district. Here, several houses had to be evacuated.
The Wienfluss transforms from a stream to a raging river
The subway, however, runs only to a limited extent, and this is expected to continue until Wednesday. Line 4, which runs partly along the Wienfluss, is particularly affected. This is normally no more than a stream in an oversized-looking artificial concrete bed – also to protect against floods. Literally overnight, it has transformed into a threatening, raging river. Within 24 hours, the water level rose from 50 centimeters to over 2 meters 30 by Sunday morning.
The Wienfluss reached the level of a 100-year flood, as Mayor Michael Ludwig explained to the media. In the western outer district of Penzing, a peak flow of 400 cubic meters per second was measured – normally this would be 1 cubic meter per second during a dry period.
With the rain easing, the water levels decreased somewhat on Sunday afternoon. However, this does not mean all clear, as Ludwig explained. A second wave of rain and flooding is expected on Monday, according to the mayor.
In Penzing, it also shows how dramatic the situation was over the hours. Directly on the border with Lower Austria, there are low houses standing right by the Wienfluss on a street. Normally a rural idyll, there was acute life-threatening danger here on Sunday morning – several houses could only be reached by boat and had to be evacuated.
The mud on the street and a flooded garage testify to that. However, people are already starting to clean up in the afternoon. A man uses a high-pressure cleaner to clean the forecourt of his house, despite the stronger rain starting again. Sands bags are still ready in front of the entrance door. One resident hurriedly removes debris in a wheelbarrow. She does not want to talk. Because she lives on the first floor, she is allowed to stay, she only says. “For now!” she calls back.
