Storms San Bernardino highway open to traffic again from Friday

The reconstruction of the A13 highway in the southern Graubünden valley of Misox, which was badly damaged by storms, is making good progress. According to the Graubünden government, a single-lane reopening of the San Bernardino highway is still planned for the morning of July 5. In the meantime, the economy is suffering from the road closure.

The prerequisite for the scheduled opening is stable weather conditions and continued smooth progress of the work, explained government councillor Carmelia Maissen (center) on Tuesday in Chur at the government's monthly media meeting. The plan is to open one lane in each direction for regional and transit traffic.

This means that vacation traffic to the south will be able to use the San Bernardino route again. The A13 will remain closed to heavy traffic. "It will be a relief for the hotel and restaurant industry when the transit route is open again," said Director of Economic Affairs Marcus Caduff (center).

The cantonal road will also be reopened, probably from the north to Mesocco in both directions. However, it will remain closed to transit traffic between Mesocco and Grono. This will keep the road clear for the numerous trucks and heavy machinery involved in the clearing and repair work.

Hotels, restaurants and agriculture suffer

The Graubünden buildings insurance company has so far received 220 reports of damage to buildings in the Misox and Calanca valleys. It expects the extent of the damage to be between 8 and 15 million francs. Damage to roads and infrastructure has not yet been conclusively quantified. The severely affected municipality of Lostallo puts the total damage in its area at 38 million francs.

In addition, around one square kilometer of cultivated land was buried. "It is questionable whether the entire area can be restored and farmed," explained Caduff. This could threaten the existence of individual farms.

Companies affected by the storm and its consequences, particularly those in the catering and hotel industry, could apply to the canton for short-time working compensation, said the Director of Economic Affairs. Under certain circumstances, official measures such as road closures also entitle employees to short-time working compensation.

Search for missing person continues

A search is still underway in Misox for a person who went missing after the storms. The search will continue until further notice, said cantonal councillor Peter Peyer (SP). The Director of Justice and Security said that it was not yet clear how long the search would continue and where the search would be conducted.

So far, the natural events in Misox have claimed two lives. Another person was rescued alive from the masses of rubble.

At the end of the week before last, a violent storm led to flooding and landslides in the southern valley. The A13 freeway was swept away by the Moesa River over a length of 200 meters. A mudslide hit the village of Sorte in the municipality of Lostallo, destroying houses, roads and other infrastructure.

Basically, the people of Misox dealt with the situation "quite well", reported Caduff. Together with Peyer, he had visited the site on Monday on behalf of the entire government to get an idea of the situation and the challenges ahead. Peyer said that people had noticed that the management of the natural disaster was well structured and working well.

SDA