Austria Tornado 1
© FF Müllendorf
An 80 meter wide tornado front leaves shambles near Eisenstadt.

Karl Tinhof is left in disbelief about having actually experienced this scene. "It was like a bomb attack. Trees simply snapped off, the bricks of houses were ripped off and dashing like bullets into the walls of other houses, terrible." The operations manager of the fire department of Müllendorf says it's a miracle that nobody died.

Since Saturday 3:28 pm the tranquil location in the district of Eisenstadt-Umgebung has been in shock. An 80 meter wide tornado swept over houses and gardens, unroofed dozens of houses, uprooted trees, and in three of the houses the trusses came off. A weather phenomenon that's in fact only known from Hollywood Blockbusters such as Twister has become an eerie reality.

Austria Tornado 2
© FF MÜLLENDORF
The Sportplatzgasse in Müllendorf was hit hardest. "A roof was thrown 120 meters away and landed in another garden, it's a horror," said Tinhof. Josef Köttscher, whose property has been damaged, is also at a loss for words. "It was as if the world was coming to an end." Added together, 15 houses in Müllendorf were hit. Yesterday the holes in the roofs have been covered with tarps. The size of the damage has yet to be determined - insurance issues are going to be tricky.

Austria Tornado 3
© Unknown
Deluge of water

Also Eisenstadt saw its share of apocalyptic impressions. Due to a severe thunderstorm, the provincial capital was almost completely flooded within a few minutes. The masses of water took sewer covers off of their hinges and dozens of cellars had to be pumped out by the fire department.