Hotel Fafleralp cut off the world

Barbara Achrainer was cut off the world with a dozen people in her Hotel Fafleralp above Blatten VS. She is happy to stay – and is still worried.

« We try to make the best of it, » says Barbara Achrainer. She leads the Hotel Fafleralp at the upper end of the village of Blatten vs. When the village was evacuated on Monday due to the impending clash, her entire team was in place in the middle of the preparations for the start of the season on Friday.

The Hotel Fafleralp was excluded from the evacuation, with its location on the slope outside the danger zone. But the street remained closed. If you live in the valley, you could still run back over the hiking trail. For everyone else it says: endure.

Thirteen employees are stuck with Achrainer in the hotel today, plus an evacuated person from the village. So far, the season preparations have been able to continue to deal with the season, Achrainer says, cooked, prepared the rooms, provided material.

At the same time, one does not know what to adjust to. Even if the situation will come up in the coming week and the streets opened: « Who will come to us on vacation? »

In itself, you are also used to a few days of foreclosure at the Hotel Fafleralp. Especially in winter, the street in the rear Lötschental is kept closed due to avalanche danger. However, that takes a few days, says Achrainer: « But the valley has never experienced something like this evacuation. »

Even if two thirds of the crash, which are at risk of falling, have now broken off on the small Nesthorn, it is unclear what that means. Because the birch glacier, who has caught the rubble so far, has been moving towards the valley faster and faster since Wednesday. The danger is not banned – and the evacuation could last.

Food via helicopter

For the hotel, this means that it will remain empty this weekend. Actually, a few occasions would have been planned, the hotel would have been busy. Achrainer canceled the first of these conferences. Your employees now feed on the food that had actually been intended for the guests. Further foods and medication are delivered by helicopter.

It all hit the mood, says Achrainer. Many of the employees had adjusted to the company after the season break, also financially. They have now been registered for short -time work, so that no dismissals have to be issued due to the natural disaster. What comes afterwards is still open.

Because while the hotels can obtain corresponding insurance benefits in the evacuated zone, the case for the Fafleralp is still unclear. The insurance companies cover an authorized closure. But the Hotel Fafleralp has no such arrangement. The hotel can remain open – it is simply not accessible.

Achrainer doesn’t want to whine. After all, she is lucky not to be in the danger zone, to have something to do, to be able to play and make music in the evening. She wants to take care of the problems step by step: « We are powerless here. »