Out and about in snow and ice

If you know what to look out for when dealing with snow and ice, you can reduce damage and help yourself and others:

• Heed weather warnings of heavy snowfall and ice. If you can, stay at home - stocking up on groceries and drinks, for example, means you can avoid shopping during weather warnings.
• Heavy snowfall and ice can be dangerous for all road users - whether on foot, in a car or on a bicycle. Be careful to avoid accidents and falls. If you witness an accident or fall that causes injury, provide first aid and call the emergency services!
• Danger from above: Snow avalanches can detach from house roofs and fall down. There are also often icicles hanging from the gutters, which can break off and injure you. Therefore, stay at a safe distance from sloping roof surfaces.
• Warn your children: building snowmen or having snowball fights - playing with snow is a lot of fun. But beware! When the snow gets icy and hard, you can cut your hands, among other things. Unfavorable hits with hard snowballs in a snowball fight can also lead to serious injuries.

Enter ice surfaces only after approval

Frozen lakes or other frozen bodies of water attract particularly playing children. The ice sheet appears thick and closed, but that can be deceiving! There is always a risk of breaking in and drowning. You should only step on the ice when the ice layer is 15 cm or more.

The municipalities release corresponding ice surfaces than can be entered. Only enter approved areas, entering other ice surfaces is life-threatening. Pay attention to the warning signs and never let your children play alone on frozen water.

If you notice a break-in, alert the fire brigade on the emergency number 112 or use the nora app.

Also observe the following ice rules of the German Life Saving Society:

• Never go on the ice alone!
• Check with the responsible authority whether the ice is already wearing.
• Pay attention to radio and newspaper warnings
• Do not enter a lake until the ice is 15 centimeters thick and a flowing body of water only when the ice is 20 centimeters thick.
• Exit the ice cream immediately when it crackles and pops.
• Lie flat on the ice and if you threaten to collapse, use caution when heading back the same way towards the bank.

Heavy snow loads can have devastating consequences

Roof avalanches and improper roof clearance can endanger people's lives. Extreme, long-lasting snowfalls can also jeopardize the stability of a roof.

The collapse of the Bad Reichenhall ice rink in 2006 showed how dangerous this is. Shortly before the hall was closed due to the extreme snowy weather conditions, the roof collapsed. At the time, more than 50 people were still in the building. The collapse seriously injured 34 people and killed 15, including 12 teenagers and children.

Snow loads cannot be seen with the naked eye

Dangerous snow loads are difficult to see with the naked eye, because it is often not the thickness of the snow layer on the roof that is decisive, but the composition underneath.

Thick and heavy sheets of ice can increase the weight on the roof immensely, especially when there is an unfavorable alternation of thawing and frost phases.

A layer of ice just one centimeter thick weighs just as much as powder snow that is ten centimeters deep.

Professional help from roofers or the fire brigade should therefore always be called in in the event of prolonged snowfalls in order to measure and clear the snow load.

Because of the risk of slipping and falling, you should never do this on your own.

Preventive measures can also help to protect your house from snow loads. Building and maintaining in accordance with standards increases safety from snow loads by at least 50 years.

Attention avalanche danger

The risk of avalanches increases when new snow falls on mountain slopes and does not find sufficient grip on the layer of snow that has already been deposited. Various factors can then trigger an avalanche.

Reasons could include snow overhangs caused by snowdrift, strong winds with snowfall or extreme temperature increases. The masses of snow and ice then suddenly slide down mountain slopes – at a speed of up to 300 kilometers per hour.

This creates a tremendous force that can also cause houses to collapse and put people's lives in danger.

However, houses can serve as a place of refuge and protection for people - and therefore have to withstand the avalanche danger in endangered areas.

When masses of snow hit a house, immense pressure can be exerted on the outer walls and roof, challenging their stability.

The outer wall of a house facing the mountain is particularly at risk if, for example, it has indentations or large and many windows and doors.

Prevent building collapses

It is therefore important for houses and buildings in avalanche prone areas to consider how the risk of collapse can be prevented.

A dust avalanche is a special case. In addition to the pressure from the impact, it causes a dangerous negative pressure on the roof and even on the side of the house facing away from the slope.

If a building has corresponding weak points, the risk for the security and stability of a house increases. However, appropriate measures can help to protect yourself and others as well as your house from avalanches.