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When the ‘flood of the century’ crippled Switzerland

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.

Switzerland experienced another “once-in-a-lifetime” flood in August 2005, affecting many of the same areas.

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Bondo landslide

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Flood and landslide damage in 2017 cost CHF170 million

This content was published on 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…

Read more: Flood and landslide damage in 2017 cost CHF170 million


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SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR