Floodwaters begin subsiding in central Europe

BRIENZ, Switzerland -- This small, tidy town at the foot of the picturesque Bernese Alps -- normally packed with tourists and hikers this time of year -- was covered instead by mud and debris Friday after days of devastating flooding.

Soldiers guarded against looting, large sections were cordoned off, and residents counted the cost of this week's floods, which killed a mother and her daughter and destroyed homes.

"We are not free from the danger yet," said Peter Fuchs, 50, who was born in Brienz and has lived his whole life in the town. "I have been lucky up to this point, but it could break and everything could come down again."

The death toll from flooding in Switzerland and other parts of Europe rose Friday to 43.

Recovery operations were under way and high waters were slowly receding, but many areas remained under water and forecasters predicted more rain.

Floodwaters were so powerful that they flung vehicles into a pile of broken metal resembling a junkyard.

"Luckily we are having nice weather, because they say this mountainside is still sliding," said Vreni Mathyer, who runs a Salvation Army shop in the town. "We hope that God has worked a miracle and saved part of the shop, even if the furniture has gone."

"We feel so powerless, so helpless," added Elisabeth Maeder, who works with Mathyer. "We're doing whatever we can to help people."

On Friday, authorities evacuated an old people's home as well as two hotels. More than 60 residents will have to stay in shelters until at least Sunday, said Peter Flueck, the head of the local authority.

Fuchs said many of the stranded were staying with friends. "We have one guest staying with us who lost her house. We are all trying to help each other."

This kind of disaster is not unknown, he said, explaining that his was the only house in his neighborhood to survive a landslide more than 100 years ago.

Several communities in Switzerland are virtually cut off from the outside world and reliant on air transport for essential supplies. Rail links to Brienz along the shore of its lake are cut off, although road traffic is suffering only from slight delays.

In the Swiss capital of Bern, floodwaters from the Aare River lapped through gardens and houses in the evacuated quarter of Matte, where the mangled remains of bicycles lay where they were deposited by floodwaters earlier in the week.

Authorities there were slowly allowing residents to return Friday evening as the danger receded. Repairs were under way on the damaged tram network.

Higher up in the mountains, paragliders descended over the resort of Interlaken, seemingly oblivious to the cleanup operation going on below.

Water were receding in Austria, where four deaths have been recorded since the floods began. But meteorologists predicted heavy rain in the south in the coming days and authorities were bracing for further mudslides, state television reported.

"There has been no danger since (Thursday)," said Maj. Gen. Gerhard Sulz of Austria's flood emergency department. "People are cleaning up now."

Streets surrounding the western province of Vorarlberg reopened and residents cut off for days ventured out to buy food and water. Tourists helped residents in hard-hit communities.

Elsewhere, floodwaters were receding slowly in parts of southern Germany, although the city of Passau -- the last German town the Danube flows through before continuing into Austria -- remained on alert.

In hard-hit Romania, flood damage from the last few days is estimated at $313 million, Interior Minister Vasile Blaga said.