Flooding in the Puster Valley and Southern Tyrol

Tyrol.

Innsbruck, 14 December. From the Puster Valley and southern Tyrol, we receive sorrowful news of devastation caused by streams and rivers bursting their banks. The cause was entirely unusual and heavy downpours that lasted for more than a week. For now, we can share only some details known to us from preliminary reports. In the Puster Valley, several houses were swept away by the raging floods of the Toblach stream, and only through the most strenuous efforts could it be guided back into its channel. Several bridges were in danger, though only one was destroyed; road connections have been widely interrupted. The loosened mountains also threaten to collapse in some places. The Adige River burst its banks almost everywhere, flooding the surrounding area and even a part of the city of Trento. The Fersina, embanked at great expense, broke through these dykes near Trento, where it flows into the Adige, wreaking great devastation. We have received similar preliminary reports regarding the Leno stream flowing down from Vallarsa, and the factory buildings situated along it suffered great damage. In many places, roads remain submerged and have been heavily damaged. The rain continues, a remarkable occurrence for this time of year, contrasting sharply with the dry weather prevailing in our region and the snow lying only in the high mountains. We fear, unfortunately, that we shall receive similar reports from other regions further south. As a consequence of these elemental events, the post from Italy has arrived in Innsbruck partly with great delay, and partly not at all.