Damage analysis Lostallo in Misox reckons it will take two years to cope with the storm

The municipality of Lostallo in the Misox, which was hit hard by storms and debris flows, expects it will take at least two years to deal with the consequences of the natural disaster. The local authorities explained this to the media on Monday. Nevertheless, the mood in the valley is optimistic.

The municipality of Lostallo in the southern Graubünden valley is still in the emergency phase, said Decio Cavallini from the regional coordination group. First of all, analyses of the events had to be completed and hazard maps updated accordingly. Only on this basis would it be possible to start with larger construction projects, such as raising protective dams.

"There are 25 construction sites in the Misox to repair the storm damage, 15 of which are in Lostallo," explained the mayor Nicola Guidicetti to the Keystone-SDA news agency. In addition, major protection projects are planned for the next few years. "A small municipality like us can't do it alone," he emphasized. Fortunately, the federal government and canton would cover 80 percent of the costs.

In addition, almost two million francs in donations have already been received. "The nationwide solidarity has moved my heart," said the mayor.

"The protective dam saved a village"

Giudicetti demonstrated the importance of the protective structures during a tour of the Lostallo protective dam for the media. The dam had successfully diverted the largest debris flow past the village. Only water and mud sloshed over it and flowed between the houses. Dozens of man-sized boulders remained stuck to the dam.

"The protective dam saved an entire village," emphasized the mayor. "The protection system works." Now it simply needs to be strengthened and expanded at the weak points.

For example, the Sorte section of the municipality down the valley had insufficient protection. The debris flow reached a settlement of almost ten buildings, destroying three of them and damaging the others. Until reliable protective structures are in place, the 20 or so residents will not be able to return.

"That could well take two years," explained Giudicetti. However, it may also come to the conclusion that protection for this part of Sorte is not feasible. In this case, the part of the village would remain uninhabitable.

"The population has strength"

In general, the population is coping quite well with the situation and has strength, said the mayor. He continued: "It's a mountain population and they want us to restore everything." Normality is also slowly returning. It is important that Lostallo can be reached from both sides via the reopened highway. "The storm has brought us even closer together," said Guidicetti.

As the journalists who traveled to Lostallo on Monday experienced, the local and regional managers involved in dealing with the damage are also full of energy and optimism. A thirst for action instead of a mood of disaster is obviously the motto in the Misox.

The storms on June 21 led to major flooding and landslides in the southern Graubünden valley. Two people lost their lives and one person is still missing.

A mudslide hit the village of Sorte in the municipality of Lostallo. Around one square kilometer of cultivated land was buried. 290,000 cubic meters of debris and mud now have to be cleared away. The municipality has so far estimated the total damage on its territory at 38 million Swiss francs.