Storms, torrential rain and extreme weather have led to significantly more calls and missions for the Bergen fire service.
EXTREME: Frode Lie, emergency manager in the Bergen fire service, feels that it has been more extreme in recent years. Photo: Rano Tahseen / TV 2
– On Sunday, we had up to 40 assignments. We experience the weather as more and more extreme, and we get an incredible number of assignments, says the Bergen Fire Service’s emergency manager, Frode Lie, to TV 2.
They have noticed that when the storm first comes, it hits hard.
– It is in recent years that extreme situations have become more frequent.
On Sunday morning, it rained up to 100 millimeters in Western Norway.
– It creates some challenges for emergency preparedness when the storm first arrives. We notice that landslides and floods occur more often, which have major consequences, says Lie.
A LOT OF WATER: In Western Norway, it rained up to 100 millimeters at the weekend. Photo: Sorosh Sadat / TV 2
Not surprised
Climate scientist Hans Olav Hygen is not surprised by the experiences of the fire service.
– This fits right in with what we see in the numbers. The main picture we see is that there will be more precipitation in Norway, and the growth will occur as the more extreme events become more frequent and more intense.
He says that the reason for more rainfall is climate change and higher temperatures.
MORE RAIN: Climate researcher Hans Olav Hygen, at the Meteorological Institute, says we must prepare for more rain in the future. Photo: Ingvild Gjerdsjø / TV 2
– The simple explanation is that warm air can have more moisture than cold air. This means that when it starts to rain, there is more water vapor available in the air.
Hygen states that the long-term outlook shows that we must prepare for 30 to 50 per cent more rain in the future.
– We have already observed the pattern, there is an increase in these incidents and we expect more in the future, says Hygen.
Strong increase
The insurance company If has also noticed a sharp increase in downpours.
Communications manager Sigmund Clementz says that they have received 50 water damage cases from Western Norway on Sunday, of which 20 were from the Bergen area.
INCREASE: Sigmund Clementz says that in recent years there have been several incidents of water damage. Photo: Kilian Munch
– The number of water damage in Norway caused by floods or torrential rain has risen sharply in recent decades. We expect that we will not stop here, but that there will be more of this type of incident, says Clementz.
He states that it primarily concerns water intrusions into residential buildings, but that some commercial buildings are also affected. Some have also had water enter through their roof.
The Bergen Fire Service encourages everyone to be good at cleaning grates and make sure that the water has room to spread.
– Some of the assignments could have been avoided if people had been more observant and taken care to clear space, says task leader Frode Lie.
