Bern Storm in Brienz BE brings back bad memories of 2005

The storm in Brienz BE on Monday evening brought back bad memories of August 2005: 24 years ago, the Glyssibach burst its banks and devastated parts of the village. Two people died and several families had to leave their homes forever.

He had tears in his eyes when he flew over the village in a helicopter and saw the extent of the damage, said the then mayor of Brienz, Peter Flück. The Glyssibach stream had cut a swathe of devastation through the middle of the village. The mud piled up meters high, numerous buildings were destroyed or severely damaged.

In 2005, floods also caused major damage elsewhere in the Bernese Oberland. For example, the Chirelbach in the Diemtigtal caused extensive damage and devastated Oey.

The buildings insurance company later calculated building damage of 190 million francs in the Bernese Oberland. There was also damage to infrastructure.

The canton of Bern had already been hit by floods in 1999 after an exceptionally snowy winter. Flood protection projects were considered, but were not pursued with the same enthusiasm everywhere.

Then, in 2005, there was a jolt through politics and the population. The canton and municipalities were now pulling in the same direction when it came to flood protection. Since then, hundreds of millions of francs have been invested in flood protection projects.

In Thun, for example, a relief tunnel was built on the Aare, as well as on the Lyssbach in Lyss. Municipalities have designated flood zones in the event of flooding, sections of streams and rivers have been renaturalized and flood protection structures have been built where necessary. This was also the case in Brienz.