Public service Canton Valais supports municipalities with storm damage
The canton of Valais estimates the storm damage caused in the summer of 2024 at almost 200 million francs. The government now wants to advance or assume part of the CHF 35 million attributable to the municipalities.
07.11.2025, 15:48
SDA
The canton will pre-finance around 11 million francs interest-free, as the State Council announced on Friday. This amount corresponds to 30 percent of the total costs attributable to the municipalities. If the government has its way, the canton should assume this share in full. However, this will be decided by the cantonal parliament, the Grand Council.
According to the press release, the canton and aid organizations have also decided to extend the deadline for submitting applications for support until the end of the year. This extension is intended to give affected private individuals and small businesses more time to prepare their documents.
Canton contributes half
Irrespective of these plans, the canton will contribute half of the CHF 200 million in storm damage eligible for subsidies, the statement continued. The Confederation, in turn, will pay CHF 80 million, or 40 percent of the total amount allocated for emergency measures.
The remaining ten percent will be paid by the municipalities. In addition, there are 15 million francs that are not eligible for subsidies and must therefore also be borne by the municipalities. This concerns, for example, municipal roads, playgrounds and sports grounds as well as repairs to burst pipes.
According to the canton, the greatest damage affected the Rhone with a total amount of CHF 75.7 million and the tributaries with CHF 63.9 million. Roads were affected with CHF 45.7 million, agriculture with CHF 7.9 million and forests with CHF 2.6 million.
Severe storms hit the canton of Valais in the summer of 2024. In Sierre and Chippis, the Rhone flooded a large industrial area. Rivers and torrents also burst their banks in several side valleys of the Rhone.
