Several residents along the lower Torneälven have been severely affected by floods in recent days. For the home owner Ragnar Rastelid awaits a summer consisting of tearing up water-damaged floors and walls.
– Water started gushing in, and was raised two and a half centimeters every hour, he says.
The water levels have started to drop outside Ragnar Rastelid’s house in Juksengi, Övertorneås municipality. SMHI’s red warnings about high water flows and flooding along the lower Torneälven remain, and for Ragnar, a summer awaits that will be entirely spent renovating the house.
– It’s miserable as hell. This is no fun, he says when TV4 Nyheterna visits him.
Ragnar Rastelid says that the water started receding yesterday, at the highest the water level was 20 centimeters inside the house. The furniture is raised on pallets, bricks and rubble.
– I’ve had it eight, nine meters from the house at some point. But it has always stopped there, he says.
Tried to build a barricade
Ragnar is no stranger to floods. But he didn’t think it would get this bad. To prevent accidents, the road outside has been raised. When the water flows began to rise, Ragnar also tried to create a barricade using earth and tarpaulins.
– Now it was so loud that it came over. Then water started pouring in. It was raised two and a half centimeters every hour, he says.
In addition to renovating the entire house, Ragnar also has to find temporary accommodation over the summer.
– Well, what do you do, you just have to like the situation, he says.