Norway’s flood waters are expected to rise further on Saturday.
Residents near Lake Tyrifjorden, near Norway’s capital Oslo, have been asked to secure their property and consider evacuating, the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation NRK tells. Due to the rains and floods caused by the stormy weather that raged in the Nordic countries this week, the lake level is already two meters higher than last month.
The Utøya massacre memorial, located on the eastern shore of the lake, was already partially covered by water on Saturday morning. According to forecasts, the water level is expected to rise by another meter during the next day.
Ringerike’s standby manager Magnus Nyholm according to Tyrifjorden, due to the water level, red, or the highest danger level, has been declared.
Living on the south shore of the lake Richard Samuelsen describes the floods caused by the storm to NRK in disbelief.
– Our plot has turned into a small island, and we can’t do anything about it. It hurts, says Samuelsen.
When Samuelsen hears that the water level is still expected to rise, his voice becomes desperate.
– At that point, the water already reaches the inside of the house and the floor structures. We’ve cleared the house, but it’s still going to wreak a lot of havoc.
Samuelsen says that he understands that the renovation of the house will take months.
Norway has a huge challenge ahead of it
Prime Minister of Norway Jonas Gahr Støre says that the country’s government is taking measures so that Norway can better respond to the challenges caused by climate change, such as floods, in the future.
Danish public broadcasting company to DR climate expert who spoke Be Mark’s however, Norway has a huge job ahead of it.
According to Mark, there are many mountains in both Sweden and Norway, which makes the floods hit twice as hard.
– When it rains a lot in Norway and Sweden, the water flows down from the mountains through drainage channels. This causes the rivers to flood and cause much more destruction than in a country like Denmark, says Mark.
– If the same amount of rain fell on, for example, Amager (one of the Danish islands), which is as flat as a pancake, we wouldn’t see such problems, he continues.
Finally, Mark reminds us that Norway will start its future climate struggle later than many other European countries. Norway is not a member of the EU, and the country did not commit to complying with the EU flood directive.