Close to 4,000 evacuated in Norway as towns face '50-year flood'
The worst flooding that Norway has seen in decades will continue in the coming days as river levels rise after Storm Hans. Norway's Prime Minister has described the next few days as 'critical'.
Flooding will continue in southern Norway in the coming days as river levels rise following Storm Hans.
Around 4,000 people have been evacuated this week as rivers swell to their highest level in at least 50 years, submerging homes and businesses.
Around 1,700 residents have been evacuated from Hønefoss, an hour-and-a-half drive from Oslo. The river that runs through the town, the Storelva, is expected to rise another metre before it reaches its flood peak.
“The Storelva and the rivers through Hønefoss are rising much faster than forecasted,” Magnus Nilholm, emergency manager in Ringerike municipality, told public broadcaster NRK on Wednesday. “According to the latest news from NVE, this will be a 50-year flood. That is why we have sent out an evacuation notice to parts of Hønefoss now.”
The municipality has set up a crisis team, and is ordering the residents of affected areas to leave as soon as possible.
“The police have said that people must be evacuated. It is not voluntary. They have had time to save their valuables,” the municipality’s director Tore Isaksen told NRK. “The flooding is expected to peak probably during the day tomorrow (Thursday), and it could last until Friday.”
Water began to flood the areas of the town that had been evacuated on Thursday morning.
Around 1,000 residents have also been evacuated from Ål, 600 from around Innlandet county, 265 from Hol, and 150 from Nesbyen due to a mix of floods and landslides throughout the week.
Next few days 'critical'
More flooding is expected in the coming days, with Norway's PM saying the next few days in Norway would prove decisive.
"The next two to three days will be absolutely critical, and we'll be mobilising around the clock," Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre told a press conference on Wednesday.
The Norwegian Water Resources and Energy Directorate (NVE) has said that the situation was most critical in the areas around the Drammensvassdraget, the third largest watercourse in Norway.
"There is a lot of water in the four lakes in the Drammensvassdraget. Everything has to go past Drammen, so I would think that the Drammen River is most critical," Inger Karin Engen from the NVE told Norwegian newswire NTB.
In total, 12 helicopters have been deployed in areas affected by flooding, the Directorate for Community Safety and Emergency Preparedness said on Thursday.
The Norwegian Civil Defence in the historical region of Buskerud in southern Norway said that households in the area will need to prepare for road closures and potential energy and water outages.
"It is important that people are prepared and have what they need in terms of water, and not least food and other things," Ivar Løkeng, district manager for Buskerud, told public broadcaster NRK.
Health workers were also sent to the region of Hallingdal, a valley in southern Norway. Large parts of the village of Nesbyen in Hallingdal have been hit by floods this week.
At a holiday camp in Hemsedal, also Hallingdal, a caravan was washed away by surging waters and collided with a bridge on Tuesday. You can see a video of the caravan below.
Bystanders captured the moment a mobile home crashed into a bridge after being washed into a river during floods in Norway, as Storm Hans lashes northern Europe ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/fQQ0Ax1fuW
— Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish) August 9, 2023
In Innlandet County, one of the worst hit areas by floods and landslides, some 115 country roads had been affected by landslides and floods.
The dam began to collapse after lower levels flooded due to a flood gate failing. Before its collapsed, the police had considered asking the army to blow open the flood gates. Those living along the river were evacuated by police.
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Flooding will continue in southern Norway in the coming days as river levels rise following Storm Hans.
Around 4,000 people have been evacuated this week as rivers swell to their highest level in at least 50 years, submerging homes and businesses.
Around 1,700 residents have been evacuated from Hønefoss, an hour-and-a-half drive from Oslo. The river that runs through the town, the Storelva, is expected to rise another metre before it reaches its flood peak.
“The Storelva and the rivers through Hønefoss are rising much faster than forecasted,” Magnus Nilholm, emergency manager in Ringerike municipality, told public broadcaster NRK on Wednesday. “According to the latest news from NVE, this will be a 50-year flood. That is why we have sent out an evacuation notice to parts of Hønefoss now.”
The municipality has set up a crisis team, and is ordering the residents of affected areas to leave as soon as possible.
“The police have said that people must be evacuated. It is not voluntary. They have had time to save their valuables,” the municipality’s director Tore Isaksen told NRK. “The flooding is expected to peak probably during the day tomorrow (Thursday), and it could last until Friday.”
Water began to flood the areas of the town that had been evacuated on Thursday morning.
Around 1,000 residents have also been evacuated from Ål, 600 from around Innlandet county, 265 from Hol, and 150 from Nesbyen due to a mix of floods and landslides throughout the week.
Next few days 'critical'
More flooding is expected in the coming days, with Norway's PM saying the next few days in Norway would prove decisive.
"The next two to three days will be absolutely critical, and we'll be mobilising around the clock," Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre told a press conference on Wednesday.
The Norwegian Water Resources and Energy Directorate (NVE) has said that the situation was most critical in the areas around the Drammensvassdraget, the third largest watercourse in Norway.
"There is a lot of water in the four lakes in the Drammensvassdraget. Everything has to go past Drammen, so I would think that the Drammen River is most critical," Inger Karin Engen from the NVE told Norwegian newswire NTB.
In total, 12 helicopters have been deployed in areas affected by flooding, the Directorate for Community Safety and Emergency Preparedness said on Thursday.
The Norwegian Civil Defence in the historical region of Buskerud in southern Norway said that households in the area will need to prepare for road closures and potential energy and water outages.
"It is important that people are prepared and have what they need in terms of water, and not least food and other things," Ivar Løkeng, district manager for Buskerud, told public broadcaster NRK.
Health workers were also sent to the region of Hallingdal, a valley in southern Norway. Large parts of the village of Nesbyen in Hallingdal have been hit by floods this week.
At a holiday camp in Hemsedal, also Hallingdal, a caravan was washed away by surging waters and collided with a bridge on Tuesday. You can see a video of the caravan below.
Bystanders captured the moment a mobile home crashed into a bridge after being washed into a river during floods in Norway, as Storm Hans lashes northern Europe ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/fQQ0Ax1fuW
— Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish) August 9, 2023
In Innlandet County, one of the worst hit areas by floods and landslides, some 115 country roads had been affected by landslides and floods.
The dam began to collapse after lower levels flooded due to a flood gate failing. Before its collapsed, the police had considered asking the army to blow open the flood gates. Those living along the river were evacuated by police.
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