One year after Blatten: Swiss Solidarity has committed more than three quarters of the donations to support local residents.

One year ago today, the collapse of the Birch glacier almost completely destroyed the village of Blatten and deeply moved people across Switzerland. In the hours and days that followed, an extraordinary wave of solidarity emerged throughout the country.

Swiss Solidarity subsequently raised more than 23 million Swiss francs to support those affected by the disaster. To date, nearly 18 million francs — more than three quarters of the donations received — have already been committed to support the residents of Blatten.

This mobilisation made it possible to provide rapid, practical and needs-based support to those affected, without unnecessary administrative hurdles. In concrete terms, direct emergency assistance was provided to evacuated residents within the first days following the disaster in order to cover their most urgent needs.

Subsequently, more than one hundred applications were reviewed by the donations commission, bringing together cantonal authorities, a local representative, Caritas Switzerland, the Swiss Red Cross, Swiss Solidarity and insurance representatives. The support granted includes, in particular, the replacement of personal belongings, vehicles and agricultural machinery, compensation for loss of income, support for local small businesses, as well as financial assistance related to the permanent loss of building land that is not insurable in Switzerland.

“When I visited the Lötschental valley, I was deeply affected by the scale of the disaster. In moments like these, it is essential to show those affected that they are not alone and that the whole of Switzerland stands by their side,” said Stefanie Werder, Head of Swiss Programmes at Swiss Solidarity.

For Swiss Solidarity, this mobilisation illustrates the importance of solidarity in Switzerland when disasters occur. It also demonstrates how essential close cooperation between authorities, aid organisations and local stakeholders is in order to provide effective, fair and sustainable support to those affected.

In the months ahead, the remaining funds will continue to be used to address outstanding requests and to support the residents of Blatten in the longer term.