The village of the canton of Grisons is threatened by a large rock mass, named Insel. From Saturday, Brienz will only be accessible during the day.
The mountain rumbles in Brienz, in the canton of Grisons in Switzerland. The charming town located at 1144 meters above sea level is threatened by the mountain that overlooks it. An imposing rock mass, which geologists have nicknamed “Insel”, risks collapsing, and engulfing everything in its fall. In total, more than 2 million cubic meters of rock threaten.
In recent days, the scenario of a collapse has become clearer. The management staff of the municipality of Albula, to which Brienz is attached, launched the “orange phase” on Tuesday, namely the evacuation of the 85 inhabitants residing in the village. They must have left their home by Friday, 6 p.m., reports the Radio-Tele-Switzerland (RTS).
Several possible collapses
“The most likely and that this Insel collapses in several parts. We hope that they will be small enough not to reach the village and cause damage”, explained Christian Garmann, spokesperson for the general staff of crisis.
On her doorstep, Elisabethe, 58 years old in Brienz, awaits evacuation. She only took a blue suitcase with her. “Only the most important, what is close to my heart,” she confided to the RTS teams.
Of the 85 inhabitants to be evacuated, 50 to 60 must find a new base. The government of the canton of Graubünden has already released 500,000 Swiss francs (512,000 euros, editor’s note) to help them immediately. 200,000 Swiss francs (205,000 euros, editor’s note) had already been paid for transitional aid.
“We are aware that you are taking this decision with great emotion (…). But we, the authorities, must take it”, declared Daniel Albertin, president of the municipality of Albula / Alvra, quoted by the RTS.
From Saturday, Brienz only accessible during the day
From Saturday, residents will simply be able to enter Brienz during the day, if the geological conditions allow it. The village school is already closed.
Geologists carefully monitor the movements of the Insel, aided by radars and lasers. But last week they noticed that the sliding of the 2 million cubic meters of rock was accelerating. It remains impossible to say exactly how and when they will come off, the most likely being a large number of landslides, carrying several hundred thousand cubic meters, reports the daily The weatherwhich relays the Swiss Telegraph Agency.
Similarly, a second type of landslide is possible, which would be characterized by a slow flow of debris, which could damage the village. A sudden and massive flow remains the least probable scenario for the moment, although it is not excluded. One thing is certain, the collapse will take place soon due to the high speed of collapse measured at “all the measurement points”.
The acceleration of the collapse could be linked to the thawing of permafrost, the ice under the mountains that holds the rock together. A thaw that increases with the rise in temperatures linked to global warming.
An underground gallery dug
Lina, who lives in Brienz, decided to hire a moving company to save her furniture. From her balcony, she hears the mountain rumbling, a sign of the impending landslide.
“It’s a part of my life that is ending. I really think that if it continues like this, we won’t be able to come back,” she confides to RTS.
Apart from the inhabitants, pets must also be evacuated. The livestock from two farms in Brienz must remain there for the time being.
After the triggering of the orange phase, it remains possible for the local authorities to trigger the red phase, if the danger for the village is imminent, within four to ten days. A total ban on entering Brienz will be decreed. An alarm will sound, giving the order for immediate evacuation.
In the past, measures had already been decided to try to slow down the collapse of the rock mass. An underground gallery had been dug, with the particular mission of evacuating rainwater, seen as partly responsible for the landslides. An initiative that will apparently not be enough.
