The recent days of intense rainfall and flooding have caused severe damage in the eastern part of Austria, particularly in Lower Austria. So far, three people have lost their lives during the disaster. On Monday, two more fatalities were reported: an 80-year-old woman from Höbersdorf and a 70-year-old man from Untermarkersdorf. On Sunday, a 75-year-old firefighter died while performing rescue operations in Rust im Tullnerfeld.
On Monday, civil protection warned of the possibility of further dike breaches, which could exacerbate the situation. The flood has caused significant disruptions to transportation, although the southern motorway (A2) section near Wiener Neudorf is passable, somewhat facilitating car traffic. Péter Varga, who commutes daily between Sopron and Vienna, stated that although there were disruptions on the motorway and city traffic yesterday, the situation has normalized today. However, railway traffic is not as fortunate. Replacement buses are running between Wulkaprodersdorf and Eisenstadt, but the ÖBB has canceled numerous trains, and there are no trains operating between Vienna Central Station and Hegyeshalom in Hungary. Rail traffic is also suspended on the line between Wiener Neustadt and Mattersburg. The ÖBB has extended the travel warning until the evening of September 19 due to the stormy weather affecting most parts of Austria.
