The Stjärnerstig family tried to save the house by Kävlingeån with soil

FARM ROD. A day ago, the Stjärnerstig family lived 110 meters from Kävlingeån.

Now they live in it.

– Soon the power will go out. Tomorrow when we wake up, we will have enough water on the floor, says Simon Stjärnerstig, 49.

It has only recently become dark when Simon Stjärnerstig, 49, has done what he can.

He leans against the kitchen island and looks out onto the street. It is now completely filled with water.

And the water continues to rise.

– The crawl space is a lake. You can almost swim there. It’s done, he says.

The high flows in Kävlingeån recently made Syd Vatten choose to open the sluice gates in Lake Vombsjön. Otherwise the dam would burst.

But instead the water has rushed and flooded the Kävlingeån, which is now spreading towards houses with water up to the knees. The Stjärnerstig family has been living in one of them for the past seven years.

Eslöv municipality has singled out the small residential area as the worst affected. But the sandbags received from MSB are prioritized for socially important activities, such as infrastructure and preschools.

– It just went up and up this morning. I called the municipality, who said to call the road association. It was like they didn’t realize how much water there was. What should the road association do, come and rake leaves out of the well or? It feels like they think you have to blame yourself for choosing to live near water, says Olivia Stjärnerstig, 49.

Simon realized that no one would come and help them. So he googled.

It ended up with 40 bags of topsoil, sandbox sand and plastic mats that are now packed along the yellow brick villa.

– I have driven shuttle traffic all day back and forth from Eslöv and waded with a wheelbarrow through the water to get the sacks. It probably won’t stop the water completely, but maybe slow it down a bit. I’ve tried plugging valves and doing what I can.

When daughter Maia, 18, went to school this morning, the water had started to approach the house.

– And when I got home again, there was water everywhere and then I got scared, she says.

Will you be able to sleep tonight?

– No.

Olivia is surprised that Syd Vatten did not warn the residents that the hatches would be opened.

– They haven’t said a word. It is usually fine to text about planned stops and work. But now? Nothing? It baffles me, she says.

Simon is also surprised that the authorities such as the municipality and the county board are conspicuous by their absence.

– You don’t want to complain. But it was the same with the snow chaos on E22 just now. What is going on? Where is the preparedness? he says.

The family has moved furniture and gadgets as high as possible. While Simon tried to protect the house from the outside, Olivia prepared food boxes in the kitchen in case the electricity went out. Cooked pasta in batches in the same pasta water. All so as not to strain the drain.

– It’s hard. But I’m not one to sit down and start bawling, I try to do what I can. I am constantly thinking about whether there is anything more I can do. But now we probably just have to hope for the best, says Simon.

Olivia nods.

– If the house survives this, we’ll probably have to build our own ramparts around the house because we can’t expect any help the next time this happens.

Across the street, the neighbors have tried in vain to pump. But it is now unprofitable. Marina Schiller, 49, has experienced high flows in the river before. But this is something different.

– My husband started to get a little worried yesterday when it started to rise, but I thought he might have overreacted a bit. But he was right. A few days ago, everything was peace and joy, but then everything came at once. I probably haven’t quite understood it yet, she says.

Marina and her husband moved into the street in 1999. She remembers a flood in 2002 when the floodgates were opened.

– But then there was a preparation, a tactic. This time no one received any warning. I have never experienced this. It is the first time it has been this extreme, she says.

Son-in-law Hampus Markebo, 23, agrees.

– It has increased several centimeters per hour. And it has rained a lot today and that doesn’t make things any better either, he says.

Now they don’t know what to expect.

– We think the power will go out in half an hour. Then the water reaches the earth fault breaker. You can’t be here if there’s water inside, but you also don’t want to leave your home, says Marina.