Since Tuesday, around 130 soldiers from the Villach Pioneers have been on an assistance mission to support local authorities in the fight against the masses of snow. After a reconnaissance on Monday, the soldiers began their mission to free public buildings from the snow load, including the provincial hospital in Kötschach-Mauten. The mission is initially scheduled to last until Saturday (January 9).
“In addition to the numerous corona operations, our Armed Forces are still on hand to help the population quickly and at all times in the event of severe weather disasters. Our soldiers have been on standby since November for snow and avalanche operations, as is currently necessary in Carinthia. I would like to thank the civilian emergency organizations, the civilian helpers and all the soldiers deployed for their commitment. Only good cooperation between all of them makes it possible to provide rapid assistance to the population,” says Defense Minister Klaudia Tanner.
The 130 men and women of the armed forces will primarily be working in the municipalities of Lesachtal, Kötschach-Mauthen, Dellach and Kirchbach to clear the snow from public buildings such as schools, kindergartens and municipal buildings. The army soldiers will shovel the snow off the roofs to prevent the buildings from collapsing. In addition, other affected buildings in the Lesachtal area will be inspected. As this is dangerous work, the soldiers are secured and roped up. A medical unit of the Villach Pioneers is also deployed for this purpose, as is generally the case, in order to be able to react quickly and provide assistance in the event of any incidents. In addition, since the beginning of November 2020, more than 400 Alpine soldiers, mountain experts and pilots from the Austrian Armed Forces have been on call for avalanche missions throughout Austria. With a total of fourteen avalanche response platoons and groups in seven federal states (excluding Vienna and Burgenland) and five helicopters, the Armed Forces support civilian emergency services when they need help.
