ASK / GJERDRUM (Dagbladet): Nine months after the landslide in Gjerdrum’s municipal center Ask, the government-appointed Gjerdrum committee will present on Wednesday its first interim report.
One who is waiting for the report on the cause of the landslide in the residential area Nystulia, is a nursing home resident Reidar Lindal (91), who lost his house in the landslide.
– What I hope comes out of it, is that they have to investigate very well before they start building, he says to Dagbladet.
– Never forget
From his room at the nursing home Gjerdrum living and treatment center, he looks straight out at the huge pit where his house disappeared the night of December 30 last year. Ten people lost their lives in the avalanche.
VIEW TO THE SLIDER: From her room at Gjerdrum living and treatment center, Reidar Lindal (91) has a view straight out to the avalanche pit in Ask. Lindal himself lost the house in the avalanche. Photo: Lars Eivind Bones / Dagbladet
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Fortunately, Lindal was at the nursing home when the landslide occurred, after a hospital stay. If not, it could have gone really bad.
– It’s still in my head, because it was a quarter of an hour with a sound that I will never forget, says Reidar Lindal.
Together with the others at the nursing home, which has 40 beds, he was evacuated.
– It was out in just the nightwear, he says about the drama before he was brought to safety.
Few are punished for triggering landslides
– Most affected
The employees at the nursing home are also excited about what is in the Gjerdrum committee’s report.
– I hope that we do not get to know that it could have been avoided, says the main shop steward for the Trade Union in Gjerdrum, Ingvill Hangaard Karlsen, who has worked at the living and treatment center for 24 years.
She says that both employees and residents are strongly affected by the landslide that hit the small municipality.
– Most people are affected in one way or another, she says.
– THE RESIDENTS ARE LOOKING: – It fell quite a lot a short time ago, and it is only a matter of time before the whole kindergarten collapses or is demolished. The residents sit in the window and watch, says the trade union’s main shop steward Ingvill Hangaard Karlsen. Kindergarten in the background. Photo: Lars Eivind Bones / Dagbladet
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– I hope that it was just a natural disaster, says her colleague, the Norwegian Nurses’ Association (NSF) chief shop steward in Gjerdrum Aina Evjebråten.
– And then I hope the report documents that it is completely safe here, says Karlsen.
– Not so grumpy
The latter is Reidar Lindal in no doubt.
– Here I feel safe, he says with conviction.
From the room he looks over to Gjerdrum kindergarten a few tens of meters away. It stands inside the fence that marks the red, unsafe zone.
In February, NVE declared that homes located outside the fence are safe.
LOST THE HOUSE IN THE SLIDE AREA: From Gjerdrum living and treatment center, the residents have a view straight out to the avalanche pit after the death avalanche on 30 December last year. Reidar Lindal (91) lost his house in the avalanche, and now lives right by the avalanche edge. Photo: Lars Eivind Bones / Dagbladet
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Reidar Lindal’s old home was inside where the fence is now. From a balcony he shows where the house stood, before it disappeared into the clay masses.
He is not so excited about the digging nearby.
– The fact that they dig so close, I do not think is so grim, but I think they have very good insight, he says to Dagbladet.
Even though Lindal handles it well, Ingvill Karlsen makes no secret of the fact that for some residents it is a strain to have slipped as a nearest neighbor.
– It fell quite a lot a short time ago, and it is only a matter of time before the whole kindergarten collapses or is demolished. The residents sit in the window and watch, she says.
Rasofre cheers after a complete reversal
Sudden relocation
For the first two months after the evacuation, residents and staff were scattered in various places.
Evjebråten says that in March they had gathered the entire nursing home in premises at Gardermoen – when the municipality announced that they would return to their old buildings on Ask.
AUTHORIZATION PIT NOW: Gjerdrum living and treatment center is located towards the edge of the avalanche pit in Ask, where more recently erupted. To the left the nursery, located in the red, unsafe zone. Drone image: Lars Eivind Bones / Dagbladet
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According to the shop stewards, the nursing home residents were among the first to move back.
– It came so abruptly. We had moved in with everyone at Gardermoen, and the same day we were told that we were going back, Evjebråten says.
She says that most of them were then very ready to finally gather colleagues and patients and relatives that they missed.
– Started to cry
The two main shop stewards have a total of almost 100 members at the nursing home.
They say that the employees early this spring received an e-mail from the municipality that those who wanted a call could contact the occupational health service, but that it stopped there.
THE RED ZONE: The map shows the evacuated zone and the landslide edge on September 8 this year. Gjerdrum residential and treatment center is located at the top right edge of the red line, just outside the evacuated zone. Map taken from Gjerdrum municipality’s website.
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Karlsen has missed a debriefing and a closer follow-up of the employees.
– Recently we had a staff meeting with a debriefing, and it was very nice, Evjebråten says.
– Several began to cry, and it indicates that there was a need to talk, says Karlsen.
Landslide experts for the Gjerdrum committee: – Free for junk
– No other option
According to May Granly, business manager health, coping and care, Gjerdrum municipality has been concerned with providing good information to those affected at the living and treatment center, and the opportunity to ask questions.
“It is important to remember that the municipality had no alternative but to move back. The building was released after a very thorough process with investigations from NVE, and like the rest of the released areas, it means that the building will be used again “, she writes to Dagbladet.
SUDDEN NOTICE: – We had moved in with everyone at Gardermoen, and the same day we were told that we were going back, says the main shop steward for NSF in Gjerdrum, Aina Evjebråten about when residents and employees were moved back to the nursing home after the landslide. Here with Ingvill Hangaard Karlsen. Photo: Lars Eivind Bones / Dagbladet
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She believes that the dialogue with shop stewards has been open, with ongoing information to employees, and encouragement to contact the immediate manager or shop steward / safety representative in case of concerns.
In an email, she refers to several information emails to employees, offers of conversations with HSE advisers, videos and an employee invitation in February to a team meeting with NVE representatives.
Granly says that the main shop stewards have been invited to a management meeting in October to evaluate the entire process, and discuss measures in the future.
– Think it’s safe
Although the buildings are intact, it is different to work at the nursing home now.
– When I’m alone in the office, I leave my car keys on the table, says Karlsen, who talks about a good working environment and that the employees are good at talking to each other.
Forced home to quick clay
Evjebråten feels something of the same when she looks out the window.
– But I think in a way that it is safe, that we must trust the professionals. I try to say that to the members, she says to Dagbladet inside the shop stewards’ office.
Now she and Karlsen hope that the feeling of security will be stronger from the Gjerdrum committee’s report which will be presented on Wednesday.
Excited rapporteur
Gjerdrum mayor Anders Østensen is also excited:
“It is important to get a clear answer on how it could happen. It means a lot to the whole of Gjerdrum. It is a very tragic and serious incident, and I hope those affected and bereaved will receive clear answers. For the municipality, clear answers will be a good help when we learn from the tragedy “, he says in a statement to Dagbladet.
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