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Swiss government wants to support cantons financially after storms

Damaged chalet
In June and July, several severe storms occurred in cantons Graubünden, Ticino, Valais and Vaud. They claimed at least ten lives and caused extensive damage. Keystone-SDA

The Swiss government wants to secure additional financial aid for cantons Graubünden, Ticino, Valais, Vaud and Bern following the severe storms last summer. It is requesting additional credits totaling CHF56.5 million ($67 million) from parliament.

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In June and July, several severe storms occurred in cantons Graubünden, Ticino, Valais and Vaud. They claimed at least ten lives and caused extensive damage. On August 12, another severe storm occurred in the Bernese Oberland, which also caused considerable damage in some places.

+ How Switzerland is trying to defeat extreme weather events 

According to an analysis by the Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN), the affected cantons will have to spend a total of around CHF119 million to achieve a level of safety comparable to that before the storms.

The additional federal credits totalling CHF56.5 million requested by the government on Friday for participation in the restoration and replacement of protection infrastructure are spread over the years 2025 and 2026.

Translated from German by DeepL/ts

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