WEATHER
Floods hit parts of Western Norway on Saturday, and Voss Municipality is particularly affected by the flooding.
Published: 12 November 2022 11:28 CET
It will take many hours before the water recedes and the extent of the damage can be assessed. Photo by Alvis Wolff / Unsplash
According to Norwegian media, Voss Municipality is hardest hit by the floods in Western Norway.
The flooding has caused damage to several buildings in Voss, but the extent of the damage is still uncertain.
Fortunately, the flood peak has been reached in the area, according to the police.
“The water level is no longer rising,” operations manager Tore André Brakstad in the Western Police District told Norwegian Broadcasting (NRK) on Saturday morning.
Several roads closed
Several roads in the Voss area are closed due to flooding. At 7 am, two new county roads were closed – Gjernesvegen and the road by Voss gymnasium.
E16 between Bulken and Voss remains closed – national highway 13 and county highway 79 serve as detours.
The need to keep the E16 closed will be reassessed at 4 pm.
Railway sections closed
In terms of train traffic, the Dale–Voss and Myrdal–Flåm sections are still closed due to the flooding. Flåmsbana is also closed.
News bureau NTB reports that Vy doesn’t know how long it will take before the trains can run as normal again.
According to Voss Municipality, this is the second worst flood in modern times in Voss and probably the worst ever in Evanger.
Local authorities are asking residents to be careful. There is still a very high-water flow, and the risk of landslides is substantial, they warn.
It will take several hours before the water recedes and the extent of the damage can be assessed.