The mayor, who has already evacuated Brienz GR twice
Published: Sunday, Dec 22nd 2024, 11:10
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The authorities in the Grisons landslide village of Brienz were prepared to evacuate residents from their homes by force if necessary. The biggest challenge was the resistance of the population, said municipal president Daniel Albertin about the challenges of the second evacuation.
A personally written Christmas card for every resident of Brienz: the mayor of Albula GR, Daniel Albertin, is also taking on this task, despite the fact that he has already accumulated two years of overtime. "I want them to feel that they are being thought of," he said in an interview with the Keystone-SDA news agency in Tiefencastel GR.
He has only just had to evacuate the people of Brienz for a second time for an indefinite period due to the threat of a rock avalanche. He will not do this a third time "one hundred percent". "People won't put up with it any more," the 53-year-old continued.
The big difference between the two evacuations was the duration. In June 2023, the flow of debris was predictable. Back then, 1.2 million cubic meters of rock stopped short of the village. The residents of Brienz had to stay away from their homes for around 50 days. This year, the time horizon is completely open. It may be several months this time.
Intervention measures were prepared
The biggest challenge during the second evacuation was the resistance of the population, said the mayor. Some residents made it clear as soon as the announcement was made that they would not leave their homes willingly or willingly. "How much longer do you want to put us through this?" asked one resident at the time. Another asked the municipality to reconsider the move. One farmer complained that he didn't know where to put his animals, especially as winter was approaching.
"The stress of keeping track of whether everyone was really leaving on that third Sunday in November was grueling," said Albertin. An intervention measure, in which people would have been forcibly removed from their homes if necessary, had already been prepared. However, it was not used.
In the meantime, the tense situation also required more police presence at the information events. "I didn't want to let things escalate," explained the father of two, who ordered a larger contingent at the time. After all, it was difficult to predict how some people would react in their desperation. There were certainly some encounters that he would have preferred not to have had.
As he did in mid-November, the mayor also focused on the well-being of the population shortly before Christmas: "So far, we haven't lost anyone in Brienz, that's the most important thing." You only have to look at Spain or Misox and Ticino, where natural disasters have claimed several lives this year.
"Regret is the wrong word"
Albertin actually wanted to leave office at the end of 2024. However, as no successor was found, he extended his term of office by two years in November. Just two weeks after this decision, he had to evacuate Brienz again. When asked whether he regretted extending his term of office, he said: "Regret would be the wrong word, but it is a great burden." However, he would make the same decision again.
Albertin was elected to the municipal council in 1994 and was elected mayor of the former municipality of Mon in 2002. From 2011, he led the municipalities of the Albula Valley, including the later landslide village of Brienz, through the merger process. In the meantime, Albertin was a member of the GR Grand Council for the then CVP for eight years. In 2015, he became the first mayor of the newly merged valley municipality of Albula.
At that time, a workload of 30 to 50 percent was expected. Then came Brienz. 50 percent became 100 and more. Today, Albertin has worked overtime for well over two years. How this will be compensated remains to be seen. He draws strength and inspiration for his office from his second job on his own farm. Every morning, he spends at least two hours in the barn, says the trained farmer.
Further support needed
In the long term, however, the challenges with Brienz could not remain a matter for the municipality. In November, Albertin called for the canton to declare an extraordinary situation for Brienz and for the municipality to receive more support. However, the government refused on the grounds that the necessary criteria were not met. One of these would be that the event must not only affect one region, but must have an impact on several municipalities or larger parts of the canton.
Nevertheless, Albertin does not want to give up. He will continue to address the "unpleasant topics" and use his network. This has already provided him with far-reaching support, particularly in terms of financing. The Brienz landslide has already cost a total of 77 million francs.
He was also pleased with the "good work" of the municipal management team, Albertin continued. It strengthened him through all the challenges. "Otherwise it would probably drive me crazy."
©Keystone/SDA
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