The spray of water was several meters into the air

– It sounded like a real downpour, but it was because the spray was all over the house, says Tor Olav Karoliussen. On Sunday morning he woke up in an unexpected way. What he thought was extreme weather turned out to be a broken water main in the street outside his house on Storhaug in Stavanger. – I wear contact lenses so I really struggled to get them on before I had to get out, he says. And outside, he and his family met a rare sight. The spray of water rose from the ground and stretched several meters into the air. In fact, right over their roof. The water overflowed into the streets and the spray stretched several meters high. Stones and pieces of the asphalt came with it in the splash of water. Karoliussen’s car was severely damaged. – Stones have flown over the house and broken the windows of the car. It is peppered with stone! Tor Olav Karoliussen’s car had broken windows and was filled with water as a result of the water leakage in the street. Photo: Maja Mathisen / news And it wasn’t just in the car that the water was supposed to flow. – The entire courtyard inside, the cellar and the conservatory are filled with water. And the entire roof is peppered with stone. – Boring right before Christmas Task leader Ole Bjørn Paulsen. Photo: Maja Mathisen / news Operations leader at the site Ole Bjørn Paulsen says that several neighbors have had water running into the house. – We are talking about between 50 and 60 cm of water that people have got in their basements. The work to get the water pumped out of people’s basements started as soon as they got control of the water leak. – It is a very boring matter for people, especially now just before Christmas, says Paulsen. Two pump trucks are still pumping water out of the flooded basements, according to Stavanger municipality. Brown water in several parts of the city The communications watchdog in Stavanger municipality, Vigdis By, says that they have received calls from households that have brown water in their taps in parts of the city further away. – This is what happens when there are such large water main breaks, such as this one. But, it’s not dangerous. There are still households without water after the accident. – There is a tanker on site where those who do not have tap water can collect drinking water. To those who experience the brown water in the tap, the city explains that you should let the lowest-mounted cold water tap run until it clears. She also says that the clean-up work will continue throughout the day, and among other things asks parents to accompany their children who will be traveling in the area. The road is closed until further notice. The water filled the streets in the morning at Storhaug. Clean-up work will continue throughout the day. Photo: Maja Mathisen / news



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