On Wednesday, May 28, a massive natural disaster, the collapse of the Bersch Glacier, occurred in the Swiss canton of Valais. About three million cubic meters of rocks and ice crashed into the Lötschental valley. In a matter of minutes, the village of Blatten was almost completely destroyed, and most of the few surviving homes were flooded by the waters of the Lonza River, whose channel was blocked by a gigantic rockfall. Fortunately, this turn of events was anticipated.
According to Jens Turowski of the Helmholtz Centre Potsdam GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences, the Kleines Nesthorn mountain, located above the village, had been under observation for more than 30 years. In the week preceding the glacier collapse, rock masses on this mountain shifted by ten feet in just one to two days, which, according to the specialist, is an extremely rapid process.
This served as a signal for the evacuation of local residents. On May 19, approximately 300 people were evacuated. They were given no more than 90 minutes to gather their belongings. Many residents of Blatten lost everything: their homes, agricultural machinery, and businesses. All they had left were the few items they managed to take with them during the evacuation. Domestic animals were also successfully moved out of the danger zone, including hundreds of cows, sheep, and rabbits.
However, tragedy could not be entirely avoided. The Tännmatta farm on the outskirts of the village was not evacuated because, according to assessments, its location was outside the danger zone during the glacier collapse. But the rockfall still impacted this area. As a result, a 64-year-old man who lived there, and was likely in the barn with his animals during the incident, is missing.
The scale of the upcoming cleanup work is enormous: the total volume of ice and rock deposits on the valley floor amounts to ten million cubic meters. The debris piles reach heights of several dozen feet and extend for over one point two miles. Due to the instability of the debris and its high ice content, access to the disaster zone remains closed to equipment and people. Authorities are urging tourists and local residents to stay away from the site.
Forecasting natural disasters is becoming increasingly difficult each day, as the processes currently occurring on the planet differ fundamentally from those of the last several thousand years. Science requires innovative methods and approaches to be effective and fulfill its main task – to serve humanity. Dr. Egon Cholakian discussed one such breakthrough scientific discovery in his address, "Declaration That Will Shake Science."
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