Aug. 8 2023 22:44 – Updated 8 Aug. 2023 22:45
Storm Hans has ravaged several places in the country in recent days, and a significant number of people have been evacuated from their homes. More floods and landslides are expected.
– We are still afraid that there will be more landslides and flood situations, says Brigt Olav Samdal, director of the landslides and watercourses department in the Norwegian Directorate of Waterways and Energy (NVE) to NTB.
– We are facing a few days with records related to large water flows, unfortunately, he continues.
In recent days, a large number of danger warnings have been sent out due to the extreme weather Hans, including a red danger warning for extremely heavy rain in parts of southern Norway.
The meteorologists have also warned of lightning, thunder and the risk of earthquakes and floods.
Expect more records
Samdal says that the Begnavassdraget, which is part of the Drammensvassdraget, on Wednesday is expected to have the largest water flow recorded since measurements began in 1940. He explains that the water flow is due to large amounts of rainfall.
– The record is set by a good margin, he says.
– The watercourse flows down into various lakes. The Drammenselva will have one of its biggest floods ever, continues the director.
We are also in the process of reaching records in several other waterways, says Samdal.
More rain to come
The school bridge in Raufoss is closed due to the large amounts of water in Hunnselva. The extreme weather Hans has hit Eastern Norway with heavy rain, and the Meteorological Institute has issued a red warning for very heavy rain, floods and landslides in Viken north of Oslo, the interior and parts of Trøndelag. Read more Close
On-duty meteorologist Anne Solvei Andersen at the Meteorological Institute tells NTB that it looks like it will rain for quite some time. The danger warnings in connection with the storm were extended on Tuesday morning to last beyond Wednesday, she says.
– There is still some precipitation in the north of Viken, in the interior and in the interior of Vestland, but the rain comes to a greater extent in the form of showers. These will last throughout the night, but it is difficult to say where they will hit, she says.
– It is difficult to say where the showers will hit. It looks like they want to move, she says.
Wide evacuation
– A significant number of people are being evacuated in many municipalities in Eastern Norway due to landslides, says Samdal in NVE.
Hol in Hallingdal is among the areas that have been hit hard by the storm. An emergency warning has been issued asking residents to evacuate themselves. Between 300 and 400 people have been evacuated in the area due to the risk of landslides.
The storm also led to a series of landslides in Ål in Hallingdal. A person was taken out of a house by rescue helicopter on Tuesday and taken to hospital, after the house and car were taken by an avalanche. Another house in Ål has also been swept away. A further six people were taken out of the area by helicopter on Tuesday.
The E6 over Dovrefjell is closed between Hjerkinn and Oppdal due to the risk of the road collapsing.
– Demanding days
– It has been two demanding days with Hans, and we are now experiencing that we are still getting some rainfall in western parts of Viken and inland, says the director.
The compensation for the reported damages after storm Hans can be estimated at NOK 500 million, according to calculations from the Norwegian Natural Damage Pool and Finans Norge.
2023-08-08 20:44:30
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