Extreme weather Hans is in its fourth day. In Drammen and around Mjøsa, you wait for the worst.
The Drammenselva rises after all the rain that has come over the Viken and the hinterland. Photo: Trond J. Strøm / Peter F. Grinde-Hollevik
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Published: 10/08/2023
Updated: 10/08/2023 08:03
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.
Transport Minister Jon-Ivar Nygård (Ap) told Aftenposten on Wednesday that there is concern about the consequences the flood could have for Drammen.
Expect flood peak on Friday
– 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 on Friday. 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 Hønefoss, around 1,500 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.
Ringerike municipality holds a crisis meeting at 08.00 Thursday. A new update on the situation in Hønefoss and the surrounding area will come after that.
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 the Glomma when the dam burst, but there is no longer any danger to the settlement of the river here.
These are the areas being evacuated in Hønefoss. Photo: Ringerike municipality
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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.
Hydrologist Per Glad from Norway’s Water Resources and Energy Directorate (NVE) tells Gudbrandsdølen Dagningen that the flood peak in Gudbrandsdalslågen appears to have been reached. The lake and the tributaries have largely become smaller during the night to Thursday.
– It is mostly on the way back, so you can say that the flood peak has been reached in Gudbrandsdalen. Now, no particular precipitation is expected for the next 24 hours, and it seems that the worst may be over, says the hydrologist to GD at 5.30 on Thursday morning.
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.
– Our latest forecast shows that the flood peak in Mjøsa is expected on Sunday or Monday, says the hydrologist.
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.
Areas and towns further down in Glomma, such as Kongsvinger and Lillestrøm, have not yet seen the flood peak. It will arrive 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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Many closed roads and railway lines
On Thursday morning, the message came that the E134 between Hokksund and Mjøndalen is closed due to flooding. During the next 24 hours, the road will probably be closed up to Drammen.
A number of other major traffic arteries have already been closed. These are:
E6 between Dombås and Oppdal E6 between Nord-Fron and Sør-Fron E16 between Bagn and AurdalRv. 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.
In addition, 77 county roads are closed, and a further 19 are affected by the flood. There is uncertainty about when the roads can reopen.
The railway is also badly affected by floods and landslides. 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 06:11:15
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