When the ‘flood of the century’ crippled Switzerland
Government officials from canton Thurgau, near the northeast border with Germany, inspect the damage in June 1999. (Keystone/Christoph Ruckstuhl)
Keystone / Christoph Ruckstuhl
The heavy rainfall which lasted 24 hours finally overflowed the Linth Canal in the northeast on May 22, 1999. (Keystone/Michele Limina)
Keystone / Michele Limina
The flooded city of Bern resembling the canals of Venice. A boat taxi service was set up to help residents get home dry. (Keystone/Jurg Müller)
Keystone / Juerg Mueller
Lanes of the N13 motorway were closed due to flooding near the eastern town of Maienfeld, May 22, 1999. (Keystone/Michele Limina)
Keystone / Gstoehl
Civil defence crews helped the city of Lucerne in central Switzerland with filling sandbags, to stem the flood damage to the city. (Keystone/Guido Roeoesli)
Keystone / Guido Roeoesli
When the “flood of the century” coursed through Switzerland 20 years ago, lakes and rivers overflowed and left a terrible mess in their wake.
Severe flooding in May 1999 killed one person and injured several others. Damage to property and infrastructure was severe, racking up thousands of insurance claims worth millions of Swiss francs. Especially hard hit were communities near Bern and in central and eastern Switzerland. In some cases, the entire ground floors of homes and businesses were filled with water. The experience forced the local authorities to come up with better ways of preventing future flood damage.
These days, Switzerland has much more detailed hazard mapsExternal link – which calculate the risk of flooding, rock- and landslides and avalanches. Federal and cantonal governments have also earmarked funds for mitigation initiatives.
This money has gone towards various measures, like pipelines being laid under vulnerable towns. Also, floodplains have been dug along the Aare River, which flows from Lake Thun and into the Swiss capital, Bern.
Flood and landslide damage in 2017 cost CHF170 million
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However, the amount is significantly less than the inflation-adjusted average of CHF307 million ($322 million) for the years from 1972 to 2016, WSL pointed out on Friday in its annual review. About 94% of the estimated damage came from floods or debris flows, while landslides contributed 2% and rockfalls almost 4%. Most of the disasters…
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Swiss public radio RTS reported Sunday that it has rained as much since Friday as in the entire month of May. Lucerne saw flooding due to 135 millimetres (over 5 inches) of rain falling within three days – a record, according to Swiss public television SRF. Other parts of the country reached up to 100-140 litres of…
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The country has been hit by serious flooding three times during the past nine years. Experts say preparedness has improved over this period but much more progress is needed. Areas north of the Alps received up to 80 litres of rain per square metre on April 21 and 22, causing some flooding in eastern Switzerland.…
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Meanwhile, the government has said that reinforced flood protection is likely to cost billions of francs over the next few years. Officials said that despite overnight rainfall, water levels had either receded or remained stable in flood regions such as Thun in the Bernese Oberland and Lucerne in central Switzerland. Meteorologists said a return to…
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Two days of heavy rain caused rivers to burst their banks, and disrupted parts of the transport network in central Switzerland. Weather experts say heavy rain is set to continue through Monday. By early Monday, reports of flooding were coming in from across the region, with the authorities in Zurich, Aargau and the Bernese Oberland…
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