03:16

Benjamin Epp

Galtür

2008-08-18

Sylvia Manning - Baumgartner

Nicole D´Incecco

199

Was your house totally destroyed? Or - My house in Winkl was damaged on two sides. The house stayed up. The roof and both side walls were damaged. The avalanche also smashed all the windows and doors. But I can say I was lucky because there were also guests booked at our house. Thank God, the guests who lived in those rooms weren't in the house at the time. If the avalanche had come down during the night, a lot of people would have died in my house. Thank God, they weren't inside it. Masses of snow penetrated the house through the windows and doors. The windows were smashed, then the snow came and filled up the entire room and obviously destroyed almost everything in it. My mother and my wife were in the kitchen which was completely destroyed. Nothing was left at all. No cupboard, no stove, the dish-washer was torn to pieces. Everything was destroyed. You really can't imagine. That is.. even if you had been looking out of the window and had seen the avalanche coming, you would have had to be very fast to be able to leave that room in time to save yourself.It happens so quickly. I have seen powder avalanches in Jamtal. If you see one starting on the mountain and see how fast it reaches the valley ? it is unbelievable. Unbelievable. I always say - you're nothing but a matchstick. Compared to the forces of nature humans are so tiny. That's why we have to appreciate nature. We have to value and appreciate it. We have to respect it. I believe, if you live in the mountains and have lost this respect you're in danger of something happening to you. If you respect the mountains - you should never lose that respect ? then you will survive longer in the mountains. Of that I'm sure.