Mittersill Austria - The floodwater situation along the Salzach River has slowly relaxed in the early evening hours.
 
Therefore, the precautionary alarm for the Center of Mittersill could be terminated, said Dr. Bernhard Gratz with deputy district chief of Zell am See.
 
The rainfall has stopped.
 
Now the water flows back from the floodplain to the Salzach.
 
However, the protective dykes are still being intensively watched.
 
In the lower reaches of the Salzach, the levels also drain slowly.
 
Storms Without Warning
 
On Thursday night, torrential rain fell over the Pinzgau.
 
The streams from the Tauern valleys brought enormous amounts of water and a lot of driftwood into the Salzach River.
 
Pinzgau District Fire Brigade Commander Franz Fritzenwanger says there was no warning because it was so fast.
 
"And from Wednesday afternoon, the Salzach level indicator at Mittersill did not work. I could not read it on the computer anymore."
 
The on-line system of the hydrographic service has not functioned in the whole state since Wednesday.
 
When the rain grew stronger Fritzenwanger drove to the Salzach in Uttendorf about midnight.
 
The level was 4.60 meters.
 
"I immediately informed all local commanders in the Oberpinzgau region."
 
The fire brigades began protective measures.
 
Highest Water Level Ever
 
The levels rose and rose.
 
In the late afternoon it reached 5.68 meters in Mittersill.
 
"The highest value ever measured," said Ortskommandant Roland Rauchenbacher.
 
"Without the new flood protection we would have been lost."
 
During the flood in 2005, when the entire center was flooded, the maximum level was 5.17 meters.
 
At night the Mittersill fire brigade had begun to erect the mobile aluminum walls.
 
At noon the railings of the Salzach bridge were cut away, so that the water could flow unimpeded over the bridge.
 
Then the huge retention basins behind the artificial protection dam west of Mittersill were flooded.
 
At 17:00, as in 2005, civil protection alarms were triggered and the sirens howled.
 
People were warned with loudspeakers and asked to go to their upper floors.
 
The greatest damage was caused by floods in Neukirchen and Bramberg.
 
Ten houses were evacuated in the Neukirchen district of Rosenthal.
 
The water rescue had to free seven people with boats.
 
However, mayor Peter Nindl (ÖVP) was relieved that nothing worse happened.
 
"The flood protection in the market center has been maintained and the new Pinzgaubahn Strasse remained undamaged."
 
In the villages of Hollersbach, Stuhlfelden, Utterndorf and Niedernsill the situation was tense.
 
Damage to the Bramberger Route
 
It can't be said how great the damage to the track in Bramberg is as of now.
 
It was completely flooded so the damage can only be assessed when the water level decreases.
 
Traffic could be restored on Thursday evening to Niedernsill.
 
The floods were neither foreseen by hydrographs nor by meteorologists.
 
There has been very humid air in Central Europe for a number of days, said meteorologist Christian Ortner.
 
Railway Lines in the Pinzgau Blocked

Because of the high-water running in the Salzach River, the railway line between Taxenbach and Zell am See has been blocked.
 
A rail replacement service was established.
 
The route is expected to be reopened Friday night.
 
International trains are diverted via Rosenheim.
 
Between Golling and Sulzau there is only one track available for a length of six kilometers due to the high water, therefore, there are delays.
 
The Pinzgauer Lokalbahn currently runs only between Zell am See and Niedernsill.
 
Author unknown.