Austria Experiences Floods - Shipping on the Danube has been halted.
The entire span of the Danube in Austria is off-limits for shipping courtesy of its rising water levels, reports via donau on Tuesday. According to Christoph Caspar, spokesperson for the state waterway company, "once a certain water level is breached, safety cannot be guaranteed." The length of time this restriction will be in place is contingent upon future rainfall and the quantity of water in the rivers.
The Danube winds through Austria for roughly 350 kilometers – from the German border city of Passau to Slovakia's capital and border settlement, Bratislava. Because of the closure, certain cruise ships were compelled to moor at Linz, where the Danube overflowed on Tuesday. A handful of roads also experienced shutdowns. To prevent resultant flooding, Schärding, located on the Inn tributary, upped its flood protection measures. Both cities are situated in the Upper Austrian state.
The Danube's rising levels in Bavaria have contributed to increased water levels in Upper Austria, as communicated by the Upper Austrian hydrographic service on Tuesday. However, water specialists are predicting a de-escalation soon.
In Austria, the water masses from both Germany and torrential rainfall caused mayhem. Areas in Lower Austria were inundated with streets, basements, and farmlands flooded. Trees succumbed to the storm, and streams became congested.
