The assistance mission ended on June 27 (-> current news from assistance missions) for disaster relief of the Austrian Armed Forces after the storms in Burgenland and Styria. Since June 9, up to 300 soldiers – together with civilian emergency services – have been helping to deal with the consequences of the flooding, particularly in the Oberwart and Hartberg areas.
They did this by building bridges for the population in hard-to-reach places, clearing flood blockages in watercourses and removing mud from buildings. They helped in the two federal states – from 7 a.m. to around 8 p.m. every day – for a total of more than 21,100 man-hours and built two bridges to flooded villages.
Defense Minister Klaudia Tanner: “The past few weeks have been a great challenge and have shown that cooperation between the population and the armed forces is crucial in order to overcome disasters like this together. The assistance mission has once again made it clear that cohesion in society is indispensable, especially in times of need. The Armed Forces are always ready to help citizens in any situation and at any time. I would like to thank all soldiers for their tireless efforts over such a long period of time – your help is invaluable!”
“The past few weeks have been a major challenge and have shown that cooperation between the population and the armed forces is crucial in order to overcome disasters like this together.”
Verteidigungsministerin Klaudia Tanner
Relief operation now also ended in Styria
In Styria, up to 53 soldiers were deployed in disaster relief operations until the end of the mission on June 27. After the initial clean-up and reconstruction work, shoveling mud out of cellars and clearing blockages, they erected a Bailey bridge in Grafendorf near Hartberg. Since Monday, June 17, they have been building a massive temporary bridge in Elsenau near Pinggau, Hartberg, to make the village, which was severely affected by the floods, more easily accessible. In total, the soldiers in Styria spent more than 6,600 man-hours helping to build two bridges. https://militaeraktuell.at/erstmals-waldbrandbekaempfung-durch-embraer-c-390m/
Disaster relief in Burgenland
From 9 to 16 June, up to 259 soldiers helped out in Burgenland – most of them from the “Schutzschild 2024” exercise that was taking place at the same time (-> “Protective Shield 2024” successfully completed) were recalled to the relief operation – mainly in the Oberwart area to help with clean-up and reconstruction work, shoveling mud from cellars and clearing blockages. In total, the soldiers helped out in Burgenland for 14,500 man-hours.
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