Flood alert for Rhone and tributaries ended
Published: Monday, Jul 1st 2024, 10:40
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In the canton of Valais, the flood alert for the Rhone and its tributaries was lifted on Monday morning. This was decided by the cantonal management body (KFO) after the situation stabilized. No more heavy rainfall is expected over the next few days.
However, the State Council decided to maintain the special situation, as the canton of Valais announced on Monday. The special situation makes it possible to deploy additional resources in the event of incidents.
The peak of the Rhone flood was reached during the night from Saturday to Sunday in the Upper Valais and in the early afternoon in the Lower Valais. For example, the river discharge reached 921 cubic meters per second in Sion on Sunday morning and 1197 cubic meters per second at the Porte du Scex early Sunday afternoon.
These are similar or even slightly higher values compared to the floods in 2000, when a large part of the Rhone plain was flooded.
One dead and one missing person
Last weekend, heavy thunderstorms led to debris flows and flooding of tributaries, particularly in the valleys on the left bank of the Rhone. The Saas Valley, Mattertal and Goms regions were particularly affected. One person died in Saas Grund and a second went missing in Binntal.
The Rhone also overflowed its banks in various places, including between Raron and Gampel and in Chippis and Sierre. Several hundred people had to be evacuated from the danger zone in the canton. On Sunday, the canton requested the support of the army. Their deployment began on Monday with the deployment of 50 people in the Sierre region.
The Simplon axis was still closed to traffic on Monday morning. A reopening was expected by the end of the week.
©Keystone/SDA
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