Extreme weather Hans is in its fourth day. In Drammen and around Mjøsa, you wait for the worst. Around 4,000 people have been evacuated.
The Drammenselva rises after all the rain that has come over the Viken and the hinterland. Photo: Trond J. Strøm
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Published: 10/08/2023
Updated: 10/08/2023 12:14
You can follow the development of the water flow in Eastern Norway in real time at the bottom of the case.
On Thursday, there is still a red warning for flooding in parts of Viken and Inlandet. Red warning is the highest level of danger.
The situation in the Drammensvassdraget is more serious than in the other two large rivers, Glomma and Gudbrandslågen, according to NVE. On Wednesday, NVE told NRK that they expect the flood here to be the worst ever.
Expect flood peak on Friday
Transport Minister Jon-Ivar Nygård (Ap) told Aftenposten on Wednesday that there is concern about the consequences the flood could have for Drammen.
– It is unclear because landslides and slips are constantly happening. We are worried about Drammen where we know the water is rising. It is an unsettled situation.
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The Drammenselva rises rapidly. Now the residents are filling sandbags.
The large amounts of rainfall no longer come, but all the bogs and reservoirs have been filled up. Thus, all the water goes into the rivers.
– The heavy rain has stopped, so the rivers upstream are about to go down. But the flood wave that has been created is on its way down the waterway, says hydrologist Sjur Kolberg in NVE to Aftenposten.
The flood peak at the bottom of the Drammenselva is believed to have been reached during Friday or Saturday. Drammen municipality signs own websites that residents of the municipality can collect sandbags to protect their own homes from the flood.
Aftenposten was in Mjøndalen on Wednesday, where sandbags are being delivered for flood protection. Photo: Ketil Blom Haugstulen
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In total, around 4,000 people have been evacuated in various parts of Viken and the interior, reports NRK Thursday morning.
In the Hønefoss area, over 1,700 people have been evacuated in anticipation of the flood peak, which is expected to be reached during Thursday. When Aftenposten was in town on Wednesday, flood defenses were built in an attempt to save buildings.
– Many have to wait several months before they can move back into their home, says Haraldset.
Deploys several helicopters for evacuation
A further five helicopters have been deployed in the flood areas to assist with evacuation and other missions, reports the Directorate for Community Safety and Emergency Preparedness (DSB). They now have twelve helicopters on standby.
– In the acute crisis we are facing now, it is necessary to put in the resources needed to safeguard life and health in the flood-prone areas, says director Elisabeth Aarsæther of DSB in a press release.
Close to 2,700 claims to the largest insurance companies
The claims after the extreme weather Hans continue to flow in to the insurance companies. Innlandet, Oslo and Viken have managed the most damage.
The insurance company Gjensidige has received 1,280 damage reports after the storm this week.
– We are fully prepared at all levels to be able to receive inquiries and give advice to our customers, who are in a difficult situation, says communications manager Line Marcelius at Gjensidige.
She says that most of the damage reports come from Viken, Innlandet and Oslo.
Tension around Mjøsa
Further east, in Gudbrandsdalen, the flood peak in Lågen has been reached. But Mjøsa is expected to reach the top only towards the end of the weekend.
On Wednesday, the water level in Gudbrandsdalslågen was three meters higher than before the extreme weather Hans swept inland on Monday.
The water is moving downwards, and it is still quite some time until the flood peak is reached in Mjøsa.
The latest forecasts show that the flood is expected on Sunday or Monday.
The water level in Norway’s largest lake is already well above normal. The rise has been 60 cm in the last 24 hours. It has been announced that the Mjøsa could reach its highest level since the 1995 flood by Monday.
The flood warning in the interior is still at orange level, but according to NVE hydrologist Kolberg, it may be upgraded to red level in the coming days.
– We do not yet know whether it will reach the red level, but the flood will be the biggest since -95 may well happen, he says.
Power plant destroyed after dam collapse
On Wednesday afternoon, the dam at the Braskereidfoss power station collapsed after a technical failure made it impossible to control the floodgates at the plant. Large amounts of water gushed down Glomma when the dam burst.
The power plant has two tube turbines with an output of 18 and 22 MW respectively.
Per Storm-Mathisen is communications manager for hydropower and the power market at Hafslund Eco, which owns the power plant. He says it will take a long time to repair the power plant, and that they still do not have an overview of the extent of the damage.
– There will be extensive repairs when so much water has entered the power plant. It is difficult to say how long it will be out of service.
E24 writes that the destroyed power station leads to acute power shortages for industrial companies in the area.
Areas and towns downstream in Glomma, such as Kongsvinger and Lillestrøm, have not yet seen the flood peak. It is expected at the weekend.
Dokka is one of many places that have been hit hard by the flood. This leads to flooded buildings, campsites and roads. Photo: Stian Lysberg Solum / NTB
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125 roads are closed in southern Norway
On Thursday morning, these main roads are closed.
E6 between Dombås and Oppdal E6 between Nord-Fron and Sør-Fron E6 on Lillehammer E16 in Bagn and in Nes on Romerike E134 between Hokksund and Mjøndalen. During the next 24 hours, the road will probably be closed up to Drammen. Rv. 3 between Rena and AlvdalRv. 7 between Hønefoss and GeiloRv. 4 between Roa and GranRv. 15 Ottadalen
All main roads between Oslo and Trondheim are therefore closed.
A total of 125 roads in southern Norway are now closed, the Norwegian Road Administration writes in a press release on Thursday morning. Most are county roads. It is uncertain when the roads will reopen.
The railway is also badly affected by floods and landslides. Seven sections are affected: Both the Røros Line, the Bergen Line, the Hoved Line and the Gardermo Line, the Rauma Line, the Dovre Line and the Kongsvinger Line are closed on Thursday morning.
Work to repair damage is underway, but it may take time before train traffic runs as normal, reports Bane Nor.
The 170-metre long railway bridge over the Gudbrandsdalslågen at Randklev in Ringebu has suffered extensive damage from the extreme weather. Photo: Bane Nor / NTB
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The railway bridge that crosses Lågen at Ringebu has suffered major damage as a result of the flood, and there was a period of fear that it would collapse. On Thursday morning, Bane tells Nor that it is in the process of stabilizing.
2023-08-10 09:11:15
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