Situation in Valais critical after landslides and rockfalls
Published: Tuesday, Dec 12th 2023, 18:00
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The situation in Valais is critical after the persistent rainfall of the last few days. Several landslides and rockfalls have occurred. The canton declared a "special situation".
The situation is currently critical throughout the canton, particularly with regard to the road network, the cantonal command staff announced on Tuesday. "The situation is dangerous everywhere", warned the head of the Department of Security and Institutions, Frédéric Favre, at a media conference in Sion.
There are no localized major problems, but rather a large number of events throughout the canton. The heavy rainfall, in addition to the melting snow, has saturated the soil with water. This has led to geological instability, particularly along traffic routes.
Several sections of road were closed due to rockfalls, landslides or falling rocks. The cantonal command staff therefore recommended driving with increased caution on the roads and limiting journeys to the bare minimum. The authorities also advised people to stay away from watercourses, avoid forest roads and tree-lined paths, stay out of cellars and underground garages in the event of flooding and not to drive or cycle on flooded roads.
According to the authorities, the situation in Valais could deteriorate further in the evening and at night. The State Council has therefore decided to declare a "special situation" and delegate coordination to Favre in order to be able to act quickly if necessary.
The aim is to "plan and anticipate any deterioration that could occur anywhere", emphasized Marie Claude Noth-Ecoeur, head of the cantonal management body, who spoke of a "tense situation". The entire catalog of natural disasters - landslides, flooding of watercourses, rockfalls, debris flows, landslides or even avalanches - is possible, said Valais cantonal engineer Vincent Pellissier.
©Keystone/SDA
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