BRIENZ, Switzerland- Swiss authorities have ordered residents to desert a tiny mountain village within the japanese canton of Graubunden due to fears it may quickly be buried beneath a collapsing mountainside.
A thick coat of fog lined the mountaintop overlooking the village of Brienz on Thursday, the place vegetation has been changed by a slope of mud and rocks.
Farm employees might be seen loading cows onto a truck and driving it out of the almost abandoned village. Some areas had been cordoned off, with yellow warning indicators in 5 languages that learn: “Attention rockfall.”
Local authorities say Brienz is in danger as a result of 2 million cubic meters (2.6 million cubic yards) of rock may quickly break off the mountain, damaging or outright crushing its quaint properties.
“The rock moves at a speed of up to 36 meters (39 yards) per year,” stated Christian Gartmann, a member of the disaster administration board of Albula, a municipality that features Brienz. “We expect it to fall towards the village within the next few days or weeks.”
Brienz’s inhabitants of fewer than 100 individuals have been given till Friday night to evacuate. The village’s mayor, Daniel Albertin, is assured all residents may have left by then.
“This is a huge task for the entire community,” he stated.
One farmer, tending to the cows being evacuated, agreed.
“It’s just a big effort for us now,” Hanneke Bonifaci stated as she opened their enclosure. “It’s a very short time, but it’s doable.”
Climate change is placing Switzerland at elevated threat of pure hazards, together with a rise in erosion because of greater temperatures, Swiss authorities say.
The extent of the harm that would fall upon Brienz stays anybody’s guess.
“The rock can come down in sections, which would be the most favorable solution,” Gartmann stated. “It can also fall all at once, which would be disastrous for the village.” — Reuters
Source: www.gmanetwork.com
