Storm-hit Großbachselten begins recovery after week of cleanup
Saturday 29th August 2026 on 16:15 in
Austria
Daily life is returning to Großbachselten a week after severe wind gusts hit the village and nearby Kittsee, ORF reported. Residents spent the week clearing up, while the weekend brought the first period of calm.
About 50 roofs were damaged in the municipality, including some relatively new roofs that were torn from their anchorings. Some residents said the storm resembled a tornado, a whirlwind that caused extensive damage within seconds. The destruction remains clearly visible.
Many residents are still processing what happened. Elisabeth Filipp-Werderits said she had been celebrating her husband’s birthday with family when the storm struck. She tried to close the shutters as she feared the wind would smash the windows, then saw sparks after a power line was severed. She said the storm lasted about 20 seconds.
“We are simply grateful that nothing happened to us or anyone else in the village,” Filipp-Werderits said. She added that her niece still wakes up at night after trying to hold a small door shut while debris flew through the air.
Anna Schuh, 75, said she hoped never to experience anything similar again. A shed in front of a barn was swept away at her property, and she only just managed to close the front door. “It felt like the end of the world,” she said.
The total damage cannot yet be estimated, said Martin Csebits, mayor of the larger municipality of Mischendorf, to which Großbachselten belongs. He praised the professional response by the fire service and the cooperation with the Burgenland energy and environmental service.
Containers were organised through the UDB for residents to dispose of building rubble. Csebits said there would be a further meeting to discuss financing. Insurers are expected to cover some costs, with the municipality, the UDB and the BMV likely to finance any remaining expenses jointly.
Energie Burgenland restored the power supply shortly after the storm. Roofers and carpenters are now awaited as residents work to make their homes weatherproof again.