– It was very windy! That’s what June Marit Løkka Hansen says about the year’s first winter storm in Finnmark. She lives in Berlevåg, but was on duty at the intensive care unit in Tromsø when she received a call from her neighbours. – They said that the roof of our house in Berlevåg had been blown off by the wind, and that the gate was broken. Bewildered, she stood on duty in the intensive care unit at the hospital in Tromsø. The fiancé, Morten Andre Olsen, was on duty at AMK in Kirkenes at the same time. What now? – There had been fairly strong winds, and then both the roof of the house and the barn came off, says Morten and adds: – It was a bit despairing. The couple received the photos from neighbors and friends at home in Berlevåg. Here, parts of the roof are next to the house wall, and the gate is broken. Other parts of the roof are on the lawn by the house. The barn roof was also torn off in the storm. It is the first time the couple have experienced such extensive damage from a winter storm in all their years as commuters. Fortunately, people in the coastal village know how to trust when it comes to that. – Thanks to good neighbors and friends, the house was secured and no windows were broken, says June. However, the roof is still on the lawn by the house, so here it is only for the couple to roll up their sleeves when they get off duty and return home to the village out on the coast of Finnmark. The couple are not the only ones who have clean-up work after the storm. June Marit Løkka Hansen and Morten Andre Olsen in Berlevåg are used to being away from their house for long periods when they are at work, but this is the first time they have experienced that the storm has caused such extensive damage. Photo: Privat Boat sank In some places along the coast there were up to 40 m/s gusts on Sunday. The wind has calmed down, and now only a yellow warning at sea about not going out in small boats between Nordkapp and Grense Jakobselv applies. Here it is still south to southwest stiff to strong gale 20 m/s. At the ports in the Nordkapp, there was a lot of destruction due to the storm over the weekend and the start of the week. Øyvind Larssen in Nordkapp Havn, together with the fire service, had to go out to Nordvågen on Sunday evening, where a boat was sinking. – It was fierce weather, and there are risks associated with being down on that floating jetty. So we only had to put an emergency rope in it and ensure that it didn’t struggle and go away, says Larssen. But as first reported in Finnmarksposten, the next day the boat could not be saved. – On Monday morning we were supposed to go back to get more control of the boat, but by then it had sunk. This week will be used to repair a gangway that was also damaged, so the boats can again use the floating jetty in Nordvågen, says Larssen. In addition, they must repair floating jetties and moorings in Skarsvåg. – So now we have a week of work to get everything fixed. And then we are ready for another round of storms again, chuckles the harbor inspector at Nordkapp Havn. The harbor inspector at Nordkapp Harbor tells of several destructions after the storm. Photo: North Cape region harbor Challenging driving The week started with a paralyzed road network in the far north, where as many as 24 road sections were closed. County road 888 between Bekkarfjord and Hopseidet was also closed on Monday due to avalanches. Here the road is now cleared. On Tuesday, no roads were closed due to the weather, but the day still started with several warnings about challenging driving conditions. It is still somewhat challenging to get along the roads in Finnmark on Tuesday. Photo: Skjermdump / Norwegian Road Administration Back in June’s home municipality, the roads have now been plowed and life is going back to normal. Yesterday Berlevåg municipality had to keep all schools and kindergartens closed. – When we had the case for consideration on Monday morning, there was a snowstorm and zero visibility. It was ten degrees below zero and the wind reached hurricane force, director of education in Berlevåg municipality Sylvia Radloff Snijders told news on Monday. Apart from the roof that was blown away by the wind, there are only a few rubbish bins lying around – in addition to some homes that had water leaks due to the cold wind. – We in Berlevåg are used to the weather. We experience this once, twice and three times during the winter, so we are well prepared, assures mayor Rolf Laupstad.
ttn-69
Cleaning up after the storm in the north – roofs blown off and water leaks – news Troms and Finnmark
