[Culturechat] CH Flood, day 2 (to Sarnen)

[Vance Roy]

I walked to Sarnen this AM. Well, almost to Sarnen. It seems that you 
can ride a bike or drive a car to the town, but you cannot walk all the 
way. So, I got the car and drove over.

Beginning before the traffic circle, one can see the rail line 
destruction. Then, the Melchaa River is out of its banks with a broken 
dam, and the rail bridge is destroyed. There is mud and debris six or 
more feet deep wherever the water flowed.

In Sarnen, anything from a block or so westward to and beyond the 
Bruenigstrasse is a lake. The beaches, public pool, and the camp 
grounds are covered. Once again, the "Mistwagens" ( those tank wagons 
that spray liquid cow manure over the pastures) come to the rescue. By 
reversing the pumps, the hoses suck water out of basements into the 
take to be hauled away.

It will some time after the water has receded before there will be 
trains running. Buses are running between Luzern and Sachslen but not 
beyond. Giswil is flooded in and around the train station. Lungern is 
fine but the lake is about 3 feet over its usual summer levels. There 
is flooding in and near the autobahns in Interlaken, and the Interlaken 
West station was flooded. The line between Interlaken Ost and Meiringen 
is blocked.

Engelberg is isolated except by helicopter. The village is covered with 
some feet of water. I'll try to scan some newspaper photos later.

Pictures are here.

http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=7lstc6f.cjhu1b7v&x=0&y=ya542e

Vance Roy
gigli.saw@dplanet.ch
http://homepage.mac.com/fredch

  I am not a complete idiot; some parts are still missing.
AJC Vent