There are still extremely high flows and floods in Västerås and Sala. Late Saturday night, the Home Guard worked in Sala to ensure that the dams do not burst.
– Right now we are helping to establish pumps to be able to pump water out of Långforsen. Then we erect a dike to reinforce it as a precaution, says Mattias Olsson, the commander of the Home Guard, to P4 Västmanland.
During Friday and Saturday, large amounts of rain fell over Mälardalen, among other places, which resulted in flooding, canceled trains and houses that were at risk of being swept away by the water masses.
In some places, a whole month’s worth of rain fell in one day, according to SMHI, and this in areas that had already been hit by large amounts of rain during the late summer, which led to high flows and water-saturated ground. In both Sala and Västerås, the municipalities have gone into staff mode.
“Going in the right direction”
In Västerås, the City Hall was in the risk zone on Saturday when the Svartån threatened to overflow as a result of the high flows. About sixty holiday homes in Biskopsängen also ended up under water and risked being pulled out into the Svartån.
The latest report is now that the water flow and water level in Svartån in Västerås has stabilized somewhat.
– The last thing we had last night was that there were declining flows. So the water is going in the right direction, it’s going down, it didn’t increase, says Malin Anneteg, communicator at the city of Västerås, to TT.
However, the water flows are still described as extreme, according to Mälarenergi.
Guarding at the bridges
During the night, the city of Västerås has had patrols every three hours at the bridges over the Svartån. This is to ensure that debris does not get stuck and to maintain the flow as best as possible.
– It has been quite successful, so things have gone well, says Malin Anneteg.
SMHI’s red warning for Svartån remains on Sunday. According to SMHI, it is about flows that occur on average every 50 years or less often.
A red warning is the most serious level of the weather institute’s weather warnings and means that the weather could have “very serious consequences” for society, including severe damage to property and the environment.