The water turned his farm into an island

The extreme spring flood in the lower Torneälven struck with full force at the end of last week and took many people to bed in Juoksengi in Övertorneå municipality. When municipal councilor Tomas Mörtberg (C) went home from work on Wednesday, it was calm – but the following day it broke loose after heavy rain combined with melting snow caused an extremely strong spring flood.

“All the damn water must have come at the same time,” says Mörtberg, who himself lives in Juoksengi.

— There was a similar spring flood when I was five years old, but I don’t remember it. Now I am 60 years old and have always lived by the river, the water has never been this high before.

Ten thousand liters of milk

Mörtberg is CEO of a farm in Juoksengi. It is located on a hill and has survived the water masses. The milk from the farm’s 200 cows fared worse, as closed and flooded roads stopped the milk truck from making its way on Saturday.

— We had to pour 10,000 liters of milk into the manure basin. It doesn’t feel good, it’s milk worth around 65,000 kroner and it’s not something you get out of hand right away, says Mörtberg.

— Today I hope the milk truck will arrive. And at least the farm has survived, it is dry and lies like an island surrounded by water.

The water will also likely mean that the spring harvest is delayed by a few weeks. But Tomas Mörtberg is not too worried about that.

“We have 200 hectares of arable land under water, so we have to wait with the spring crop until the water has receded,” he says.

— Many of our fields flood every year, but not to this extent. But it would have been worse if the flood had happened in the autumn, now we can also make up for some of the delay with the help of the midnight sun.

“Not fun”

There are around 350 people living in Juoksengi and it is mainly the northern part of the village that has been affected by the rapid advance of the spring river. Mörtberg estimates that around 20 summer cottages and a couple of permanent residences have been affected.

— Everyone is probably water-damaged. Many have invested hundreds of thousands of kroner in equipping the cottages so that it is possible to live there all year round, he says.

— It is clear that many have hung their heads. And I get that, it’s not fun to pour thousands of liters of milk into the manure basin. But we will come again, we are a tough people here in Tornedalen.

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