Hailstorm leaves a trail of devastation through the district - "I've never experienced anything like it"

Created: 07/01/2022, 18:42

By: Klaus-Maria Mehr

Shattered windows, dented cars and flooded basements: the hailstorm on Thursday evening left a trail of devastation in Oberau.

The fire brigade was in constant use.

Oberau – Peter Fink still can't believe it: It was only at the beginning of the week that he suffered hail damage in his nursery in Oberau.

Around 60 panes were broken.

The entrepreneur didn't hesitate and installed new glasses himself.

But shortly thereafter, on Thursday, the traditional company was hit again by a storm - but this time by a much more violent one.

Oberau: master gardener faces a pile of broken glass after a storm

The bitter result: Almost all panes of the greenhouses, an estimated 500 to 600, were destroyed - a nightmare.

"It was massive, everything went," says Fink.

Outdoor plants, whether shrubs or perennials, were also severely affected.

"It looks as if someone shot in with a machine gun." Now an appraiser from the insurance company has to take care of the matter.

The master gardener remains confident: “You can replace everything.

Life goes on.” All information about the current weather is available in our weather ticker for Bavaria.

The Oberau master gardener Peter Fink looks at his destroyed greenhouses.

© Thomas Very

When a thunderstorm front swept across the Bavarian Alps early on Thursday evening, Oberau was hit particularly hard (we reported).

Around 5 p.m., a powerful hailstorm erupted over the Loisach community, which has around 3,200 inhabitants.

The district of Garmisch was also affected – to a lesser extent.

In Oberau, the ice grains, which were sometimes more than the size of a golf ball, pounded against everything in their way for about 20 minutes - and caused enormous damage.

A concrete sum is not known, but reconstruction and repairs should cost a lot of money.

The only positive thing is that no one was injured.

Storm causes considerable damage throughout Oberau

"I've never experienced anything like this," reports fire brigade commander Florian Schindlbeck.

According to him, rows of windows, mainly on the roofs, were demolished - also on larger properties such as the Langmatz workshop, the parish church, the school and the gym.

If you cannot get your car to safety in time, you will have to contact the insurance company.

Because the hail left countless dents, it even broke entire windshields.

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Hailstones as thick as table tennis balls and torrential rain hit Oberau on Thursday evening.

© Dominik Bartl

The local fire brigade, which received support from their colleagues from Farchant and Partenkirchen, was on the road for hours.

For example, to temporarily seal open windows with tarpaulins.

Schindlbeck counted 30 missions completed by around 70 forces.

It wasn't until late in the evening that she finished work.

On the following Friday, the rest of the work and the clean-up work had to be done.

The pumps ran non-stop.

This is how the water penetrated the Aldi branch.

And in the underpass for pedestrians and cyclists on the main road, it was two meters deep.

But the people of Oberau don't give up even in extreme situations: "The whole place sticks together," reports Schindlbeck.

After hail showers in Garmisch: fire brigade busy for hours

The Garmisch fire brigade had to move out 27 times with 30 men, as reported by commander Peter Gröbl.

The fact that it rained so heavily in such a short time was new to him.

Gröbl's team was also busy for several hours eliminating the consequences of the storm.

Their locations also included the GEP shopping center, where a Plexiglas roof could not withstand the heavy rain.

As reported by the police, even the Farchant tunnel had to be closed for a short time because road users sought protection in the tubes.

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