Saturday’s coziness came to an abrupt end at the home of the Solhemmer family in Tösse when water suddenly started gushing out of the toilet seat down in the basement.
– I heard it splashing down in the basement, says Andreas Solhemmer.
When Andreas went down to the basement to check what it was that sounded, he was greeted by an unusual sight. The entire basement had been covered in brown rainwater that had flowed backwards and gushed out of the toilet, after the weekend’s heavy downpour which led to flooding.
– I looked in towards the toilet, which stood like a fountain there and spouted water. The water level had risen to step number two in the downstairs, he says.
Andreas tried desperately to stop the water that continued to rise down into the basement.
– I found towels that were floating and tried to stuff them into the toilet, while I pressed my foot in to get even more pressure, says Andreas.
But then the water started gushing out of the sink instead.
– I thought it was quite pointless to do anything at all, says Andreas.
In addition, he discovered that the water was electrified when he put his arm down to save the things floating in the water.
– I was angry, disappointed and sad.
Extensive damage
– Unfortunately, most of it has to be thrown away, says Andreas.
He has been in contact with the insurance company, which will send an inspector to the home to check the extent of the damage. But he appeals to the municipality to take measures to prevent something like this from happening again.
– It’s almost like you start thinking about selling the house.
Floods
Åmål and Vara were hit by floods on Saturday after heavy downpours.
– It was a terrible downpour that came, we had a busy night, says Fredrik Aronsson, operations leader at the rescue service in Åmål, to TT.
The rainy weather that caused hundreds of flooded basements and closed roads in western Sweden has moved further north during the weekend. But the Rescue Service has continued with the rescue work.