The inhabitants of Brienz (GR) must complete “preparations as quickly as possible” for their evacuation from the village threatened by a landslide. According to experts, the danger has worsened. The command staff of the municipality of Albula (GR), to which Brienz belongs, has triggered the “yellow phase”. Within two to six weeks, the area called “Insel”, with a volume of around two million cubic meters, might collapse towards the village within two to six weeks, authorities said on Friday. communal.

According to experts, the landslide of the “Insel” zone continued to accelerate. The landslide velocity “is now so high at all measurement points” that this area is to be expected to collapse within two to six weeks. The command staff on Friday called on the residents of Brienz “to complete preparations for their evacuation as quickly as possible”. When the “orange phase” is triggered, the evacuation will be launched “immediately” and “there will only be three days left to leave the village”.

In images, in pictures: In pictures: Brienz, the Graubünden village that holds its breath in front of the mountain

Difficult prediction

Experts cannot predict exactly how the “Insel” area will break away from the mountain. The most likely is a large number of rockfalls from a few thousand to several hundred thousand cubic meters. A slow but long-lasting landslide in the form of a debris flow that can reach and damage the village is also possible. A large, rapid and large rockslide, with more than 500,000 cubic meters “is much less likely”. But it can’t be ruled out either, experts say.

Before a major event occurs, continuous rockslides are to be expected from the western part of the “Insel” area where some areas have an “acute” rockslide risk. These landslides do not pose a danger to the village, the experts point out. However, it is “very important not to enter the security zone to the north and west of the village”.

Read also: Threatened by landslide, a village in Graubünden is preparing to evacuate

«Phase orange» et «phase rouge»

The “orange phase” provides for the command staff to immediately announce the “ordered evacuation” of the village. A public meeting will be organized. The village must be evacuated within three days. Pets and pets must also be evacuated. The access roads to the village will be closed.

The triggering of the “red phase” will mean that an “event that might endanger the village is imminent”, within four to ten days. A total ban on entering the evacuated area will be pronounced. The Albula railway line of the Rhaetian Railway and the cantonal road Tiefencastel-Lenzerheide will be closed.