Several roads and the Bergen Railway are closed due to flooding in Western Norway. In Voss, the mayor is preparing for things to get worse, and the municipal management is now introducing a number of measures.
11 Nov 2022 09:03
Last updated 7 minutes ago
At the bottom of the case, you can follow the water flow and the flood situation in various waterways continuously.
Western Norway is hit by heavy rain and a 50-year flood. It doesn’t seem to be giving up anytime soon. The storm is expected to continue into Saturday.
Inner parts of Vestland county have a red level flood warning.
Fear of major damage
Voss is hit particularly hard.
There, the Evanger bridge on E16 and Langebrua on national highway 13 were closed on Friday evening. The municipality fears that the flood will be worse than the 200-year flood in 2014. In a press release, Voss writes here that they fear major damage.
It was Friday morning that the danger level was upgraded to red. This is defined as an “extreme situation that occurs very rarely”. This means the risk of extensive flooding, erosion damage and flood damage to buildings and infrastructure. It only happens every 50 years, according to Varsom.no. arrow-outward-link
The police ask people in exposed areas to be careful and avoid traveling outdoors unless strictly necessary. There is a high risk of landslides, large water flows and floods.
Roads can be closed at short notice. The situation may vary from place to place. Therefore, the police ask people to keep up to date through the media or via varsom.no arrow-outward-link . In case of urgent help, they ask that the police be contacted.
50-year flood and crisis staff
In Flåm, the levels are above the 50-year flood. Crews are working to build flood barriers, but margins are slim.
At 19:00 there are ten centimeters left before the water goes over the wall, and flows into the center of Flåm, says Reinhardt Sørensen, technical manager in Aurland municipality.
NRK writes that Voss is setting up crisis staff because of the storm. This is reported by mayor Hans Erik Ringkjøb.
In Teigdalen on Voss, five people and a dog were evacuated by the fire service.
– They can’t go any further because of all the water. But they are sitting in a tractor and are safe and sound, he tells NTB at 6.30pm.
– About half a meter of water from the river flows around the house, reported the 110 center a little earlier in the evening.
The West Police District reports at the same time that the Teigdalsvegen, which runs from Evanger towards Brekkhus in Voss herad, is closed and impassable, because the Teigdalselva has begun to rise above the roadway, Bergens Tidende reports.
According to NVE’s forecasts, the flood peak will occur on Voss on Saturday.
– The water just keeps rising, there is no reason to believe that this will end anytime soon, says mayor Hans-Erik Ringkjøb to BT arrow-outward-link Friday night.
Closed schools
Friday morning reported Bergens Tidende arrow-outward-link that Årdal municipality closes all schools. The municipality is experiencing a 50-year flood on Friday and is on full alert. They fear that a bridge will collapse and have set up emergency staff.
A lot of rain has been reported in the municipality until 4 o’clock on Saturday night, according to Yr.
The municipality fears that important cultural monuments will be damaged in the flood. Several of the unique buildings are in danger.
– A disaster if our cultural heritage is lost, says mayor Hilmar Høl in a press release.
There is talk of several old buildings that will be affected by the flood.
There have also been major traffic problems. Bergensbanen was closed for several hours, but reopened at 3pm. Three hours later, the section Voss – Dale had to be closed due to all the rainfall.
Several roads closed
Road traffic is also affected. Among other things E16. This makes it difficult to establish alternative transport to Bergensbanen.
Vy informs BT that they have booked hotel rooms for train travelers in Voss.
At around 18.30, the Norwegian Road Administration reports that the following sections of road are closed. The situation is changing rapidly and the list is not necessarily exhaustive:
Traffic operator Kjetil Larsen at Vegtrafikksentralen warns of a lot of water in the road. Especially with regard to hydroplaning and the like, he informs BT arrow-outward-link .
A lot of water in the rivers also poses a risk of flooding and erosion damage.
Garage and a boathouse destroyed by landslide
On Friday night, the police received a report of a rock slide near Haugsvær in Nordhordland. That is written by BT. arrow-outward-link
– There are large masses, described as boulders the size of cars, says police operations manager Stine Mjelde to the newspaper.
– The rock slide has taken away, or at least destroyed, a garage and a boathouse.
On Thursday at half past seven, the police also reported a landslide in Sogndal municipality. 15 residents were locked up.
