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TWO PEOPLE WERE missing in Austria on Sunday following landslides triggered by heavy rains that have forced the evacuation of at least 200 people from their homes, local authorities said.
Many roads were closed, particularly in the west and north of the country, and several rail services were disrupted after days of pelting rain that has left many parts of the country under flood alert.
Hundreds of fire fighters and emergency services, as well as the Austrian army, have been mobilised to help clear roads, assist with evacuations and put up anti-flood barriers.
Open-air music festivals and other events have also been relocated or partly cancelled as a result of the weather.
In Taxenbach near Salzburg, rescue services were still searching for two people believed to have been caught in a landslide — a farmer on a tractor and a woman in a car.
Over 120 residents in the western province of Salzburg and another 80 in neighbouring Tyrol were evacuated from their homes as local rivers threatened to burst their banks, local authorities said.
In the northern city of Linz, the Danube was threatening to overflow and the fire department closed off parts of the city to traffic.
Much of the western provinces of Vorarlberg, Tyrol and Salzburg, as well as northern Upper Austria were under flood alert.
Several rail services were also halted due to landslides in Salzburg and Tyrol, Austrian Rail said, while a section of the motorway to Switzerland was closed because of flooding.
On Saturday alone, Vorarlberg province saw up to 132 millimetres (about five inches) of rain, according to the Austrian meteorological centre ZAMG.
In just a few days, Austria has experienced as much rain as it normally would do in two months during this season, ZAMG added.
Some towns are fearing a repeat of record floods similar to those in 2002 that caused nationwide damage of up to 7.5 billion euros ($9.7 billion).
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Said it before and I’ll say it again. Those with severe mental illnesses and those with serious medical needs should take precedence over everyone else on housing lists, and also be located nearest hospitals and services they need long-term.
All able bodied men and women, with or without children, should be relegated on the list.
@Niall Sullivan: omg I couldn’t agree more !!!
@Niall Sullivan: there should be enough social housing for all those who need it.
@Niall Sullivan: that is the case already.
Dangerous condition, overcrowding
Disabled, severe medical issues
Elderly
Traveller
Everyone else
Some difficulties pale into insignificance compared to Tracy’s heavy load. I just cannot imagine what it is like to live with this pressure.
50: The number of days Brendan Bjorn has been bedridden due to his pressure sore opening back up for the third time this year.
104: The number of days so far this year that Brendan Bjorn has been bedridden in total due to that pressure sore.
2: The number of days Brendan will be in overnight respite at LauraLynn starting tonight while Declan and I spend my birthday away for a couple of days.
15: The total number of nights I get off per year via respite at LauraLynn Children’s Hospice.
0: The number of in-home respite hours I’ve had in the past 5 months.
24: The number of hours I work per day.
7: The number of days per week that I work.
0: The number of retirement pensions I have to look forward to.
9: The number of years since I’ve been able to work in my professional career field.
2: The number of weeks I’ve been waiting for the county’s tissue viability nurse to ring me just to set the appointment to come out and examine Brendan’s pressure sore.
1: The number of days Brendan Bjorn has made it to school this school year.
30: The number of days since I rescheduled Brendan’s spinal fusion assessment with a promise they would ring me back that same day to reschedule, but with no word since.
6: The number of months since Brendan was placed on the “urgent” spinal fusion list, which is to be no longer than a 4 month wait.
1: The number of years I’ve been trying to find a suitable rental house via HAP that will fit all of Brendan’s special care requirements, but with no luck at all.
1: The number of years the boys and I have been stuck living in an unfinished, unsuitable, unsafe, unregistered house on the private rental market.
2: The number of rental houses I will go view today, again hoping to be selected for the crumbs of an insecure tenancy lease in what will obviously not be a forever, stable, fully suitable or modifiable family home for my boys.
1,100: The number of euros it will cost each month to rent one of the above mentioned houses (but this one actually has a wet room and a ground floor bedroom!).
3: The number of days until New Year’s Eve: A day I will set aside all of these worries; a day I hope Brendan’s pressure sore will be healed by so that he can be taken out of his bed and brought into the sitting room to watch his little brother around the Christmas tree. And a day I will focus solely on the gifts I have: my 2 beautiful sons.
Apparently Leo’s low point for the year was Francis Fitzgerald having to resign for “allegedly” failing in her job.
All the best to you and yours Tracy don’t expect Leo to be worrying about you……..
Ireland’s supporters are under supported and exploited because of too little State support.
Caring supporters who substitute for and carry the total burden that should be supported by a proper system of community support and respite care.
What a Mother, what a lady. Me and my partner watched this program and it touched us deeply. This has to change as Tracey, Declan and Brenden deserve much better than this shameful government has done to date.
I hope Brendan you get the care you need and your mum ( a hero) gets the support she needs and deserves god bless ye hopefully 2018 Will be less stressful year xxx
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