Army Helps with Clean-up After Storm in La Chaux-de-Fonds
Published: Monday, Jul 31st 2023, 11:40
Aktualisiert am: Freitag, 13. Oktober 2023, 14:12
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The city of La Chaux-de-Fonds in Switzerland is receiving assistance from the army in the wake of a devastating storm that hit the area a week ago. Around 80 military personnel will be participating in security operations starting Wednesday. The army will be deploying disaster relief, engineering troops and mountain specialists, as announced by the Canton of Neuchâtel and the Swiss Federal Department of Defence, Civil Protection and Sport (VBS). The soldiers will be on duty until August 11th. The work will be carried out in collaboration with the local civil authorities. Due to the return of many people from holidays, the upcoming school year and the heavy strain on existing resources, the Canton of Neuchâtel requested the support of the army. This is to speed up and strengthen the security measures near schools in order to ensure the safety of students when school starts on August 14th. According to the VBS, a week after the storm, many vital infrastructures still could not be secured and cleared. Therefore, the army will also be deployed in the ongoing clearance operations to protect the population from falling debris. The fierce storm that swept through the city on July 24th with wind gusts of over 200 kilometers per hour left an estimated damage of 70 to 90 million Swiss francs to buildings alone, according to the cantonal building insurance. Between 4000 and 5000 of the 7500 buildings in the region were affected by the storm. 1600 hectares of forest were damaged, thousands of motor vehicles destroyed and one person in a car was killed by a falling construction crane. 40 more people were injured.
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