Large torrents of water, including tree debris, debris, and trash, plowed through the normally serene riverbeds. They flooded abandoned houses, covered cars with mud and drenched campsites.
One of the hardest-hit places was the town of Hoenefossen, where the Begna River overflowed, and authorities were considering moving more residents downriver for fear of landslides. Around 2,000 people have already been evacuated from the area.
“We constantly try to think several steps ahead” and trigger a new level of alarm, Magnus Nilholm, an emergency official in the Hoenefossen region, told Norwegian television NRK.
Ivar Berthling of Norway’s Water Resources and Energy Directorate told local news agency NTB that the water level around Hoenefossen, some 40 kilometers (25 miles) north of Oslo, was expected to continue to rise and hold high until Monday. Further north, near Lake Strondafjorden, the water level was reported to be 2.5 meters (8.2 ft) above normal.
Authorities did not provide the total number of evacuees across the country. According to one estimate, so far the damage could amount to 1 billion crowns (about 100 million dollars).
The authorities asked the population on Friday to check the state of their cabins in the most affected part of the country.
Storm Hans hit northern Europe on Monday and Tuesday, disrupting transportation and causing flooding and power outages in the Nordic and Baltic regions. At least three people have died.
FOUNTAIN: Associated Press
