Unemployed support thunderstorm-hit area

More than two dozen high-skilled jobless Styrians joined natural disaster support groups after a devastating thunderstorm caused havoc at the weekend.

Labour Market Service (AMS) officials in the district of Murau announced today (Tues) that 30 people registered as out of work immediately stepped forward to assist clearing streets from mud in Oberwölz and other affected towns. The authority pointed out that some of the volunteers would earn considerably less in the coming weeks when they rebuild the local infrastructure than they would receive in their own professions.

Extra support is in great demand in the thunderstorm-hit area as most members of the local fire brigade had to return to their regular jobs yesterday after having worked nonstop pumping water and mud out of basements. Tens of thousands of fire-fighting units across Austria consist of volunteers. This form of fire brigade is prevalent in the countryside while most cities employ full-time fire fighters.