Keystone-SDA
In Brienz GR, the deadline for the evacuation of the entire village ends on Sunday at 1 p.m. The red phase then begins. This means that entry into the village, which is threatened by a rock avalanche, is prohibited. This situation could last until spring.
This content was published on
17. November 2024 – 04:30
(Keystone-SDA) The approximately 80 residents of Brienz have to leave their homes for the second time in one and a half years. 1.2 million cubic meters of rubble above the village is moving down the valley and threatening to destroy the mountain village.
The municipality of Albula, to which the village of Brienz belongs, supported those affected in finding temporary housing. A return to Brienz is probably not possible until spring 2025.
The access ban also applies to the fire department
Not only people, but also animals are being relocated: some of the cattle were brought to the Plantahof in Lanquart, other animals are entrusted to various farms.
The 500-year-old late Gothic altar was also brought to safety from the Church of St. Calixtus for a second time. In addition, the Brienz local archive was also transported away.
The ban on entering the danger zone around Brienz also applies to the fire brigade. If there were a fire in Brienz, it would only be deployed if the early warning systems and operations management determined that an operation would be justifiable.
“If we cannot rule out a danger to our people from the mountain, we will not move into the danger zone,” explained a fire department inspector in a bulletin from the municipality of Albula. This decision is based on the priorities for fire brigade operations in Switzerland: people come first, then animals, the environment and only fourth are material assets.
The first rockfall came to a halt in front of the site
The residents of Brienz had to leave their homes in May 2023. At that time, a rockslide threatened to tear the entire village away.
On the night of June 16, 2023, huge amounts of rock shot down the slope and buried a street and meadows meters high in rubble. The rock masses came to a standstill just a few meters from the site.
