25th anniversary of the historic avalanche winter of 1999
Published: Thursday, Feb 15th 2024, 12:40
Updated At: Thursday, Feb 15th 2024, 12:41
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25 years ago, a historic avalanche winter kept Switzerland on tenterhooks. Within four weeks, there was up to eight meters of fresh snow and 36 people died in avalanches. Roads and railroad lines were interrupted. Numerous villages were cut off from the outside world, sometimes accompanied by power cuts.
Only in the winters of 1950/1951 and 1969/1970 were there more avalanche deaths in Switzerland.
The Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research (SLF) of the Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research (WSL) announced on Thursday that around 1200 damaging avalanches had fallen in the Alpine region within four weeks. "Last week, an avalanche fell on average every 20 minutes in Valais," wrote an editor of the then news agency SDA on February 28, 1999.
According to the SLF, this was triggered by a special weather situation: Three times in quick succession, precipitation-rich northwesterly dust storms occurred: from January 26 to 29, from February 5 to 10 and from February 17 to 24. They led to heavy snowfall. For the first time since its introduction in 1993, the highest avalanche warning level five (very large) prevailed over a large area and for several days in succession.
Material damage amounting to around 600 million francs was caused. According to the SLF, there were also losses for the tourism industry - probably amounting to more than 300 million francs.
Twelve dead in Evolène VS
The most serious avalanche in the historic avalanche winter occurred in Evolène VS on the night of February 22, 1999: twelve people died when their homes were buried. It was the third most serious avalanche in Switzerland in the 20th century.
According to a municipal official at the time, one of the destroyed chalets, in which five of the missing persons were still staying, was located in the white and therefore actually risk-free zone, as a reporter from the SDA news agency reported. The Valais cantonal court subsequently sentenced the then president of the municipality and the head of security to conditional prison sentences for involuntary manslaughter. In 2006, seven years after the accident, the sentences became legally binding.
Numerous cantons affected
In Valais, more than 5000 people were flown out of cut-off regions. Army helicopters were used, among others. In Graubünden, over 50,000 people were cut off from the outside world at times. This included the Davos district of Monstein. The Lower Engadine, for example, was also no longer directly accessible from Switzerland.
There were also evacuations in the Bernese Oberland and in the cantons of Glarus, St. Gallen, Uri and Fribourg. Near Wassen UR, the SBB Gotthard line was partially interrupted on February 22. Avalanche damage was also reported in the cantons of Schwyz and Obwalden.
New protective measures accelerated
As a result of the avalanche winter of 1998/1999, new, temporary protective measures against avalanches were introduced in Switzerland, as the SLF reports. Among other things, an intercantonal early warning and crisis information system was developed.
Another finding was that blasting avalanches is a sensible, cost-effective alternative to avalanche barriers. At the same time, however, the importance of avalanche barriers also became clear: estimates show that in February 1999 around 300 damaging avalanches were prevented by their effect.
Nevertheless: "If such a situation were to occur today, it would certainly be a challenge again, because we generally have little experience with extraordinary, rare avalanche situations," the current head of the avalanche warning service, Thomas Stucki, is quoted as saying in the SLF press release.
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