Ruben Bekke (32) was plowing outside the house when he heard a loud crash. – The wife was in the barn when the landslide came and I was sitting on the tractor plowing. I jumped out of the tractor, didn’t even have time to put on my shoes before I jumped into the barn. Run and shout in panic – I shouted at her, that she had to hurry out because there was a landslide coming down the hill. The wife, Martine Eline Bekke (26 years old), noticed nothing inside the barn. – I was very keen to receive a calf today, and was very keen on it. I am used to many sounds. I had no chance to understand that there was a landslide, says Martine Eline Bekke. The married couple Ruben and Martine Eline Brekke stay on the farm to look after the animals, despite the danger of the breed. The neighbors have been evacuated. Photo: private Bekke says he panicked when he ran towards the barn. The wife got out when the man came running. The barn was hit by the avalanche, and the milk gate to the milk room was blown in. The snow poured into the hall. – But the actual room the heifers are in is complete, says Bekke. There are now 103 cows alone in the barn. Don’t dare go into the barn. The couple says they saw several landslides from their house on Friday. They did not finish the barn frame and are very worried. The barn of the married couple Bekke was hit by the avalanche. The animals are in good condition, but need care. Photo: Ruben Bekke / private – We are afraid to enter the barn because of the great risk of landslides. They think of the animals that have been left alone in the barn since the collapse. – It’s not fun to know. We think a lot about the animals that are not supervised, says Ruben Bekke. Calves need milk and cows need to be milked Martine Eline Bekke has lived on the farm all her life. Her husband has lived there for four years. They are worried about the danger of avalanches, but do not want to leave the animals. There are 34 calves in the barn that need milk morning and evening. There are also several dairy cows that need to be milked. Several of the animals will calve. – It goes beyond animal welfare, says the couple. They feel very insecure. Ruben Brekke saw the slide coming towards the farm and ran for his life to alert his wife. Photo: Ruben Bekke The couple has also previously known about the threat from other natural forces. They live under one of Norway’s most dangerous mountains, Gámanjunni in Kåfjord. 26 million cubic meters of rock are moving on the mountain. They have previously applied for support to move the farm away from unstable rock masses, but have been refused. The mountain they live under moves six centimeters a year, and is one of seven mountains in the country that has 24/7 monitoring. Waiting for help Ruben Bekke says that the municipality has come up with a proposal to send people to keep watch outside the barn while they took care of the animals. Bekke does not accept that. The danger of new breeds is great in Manndalen. The couple have been offered guard duty outside the barn while they look after the animals, but it is of little help, says Ruben Brekke. Photo: Ruben Bekke – Then we can go up alone. It is just as dangerous if someone is sitting and watching us. They were supposed to stand and listen and hear if there was an avalanche. But it won’t work, says Bekke. Now he expects Kåfjord municipality to come up with a proposal to secure the animals. – They have to be transported to another barn, or slaughtered if we can’t go in the barn, says Bekke. – The landslide expertise has been good for security – They have been offered to be evacuated, but then they have come up with an arrangement to follow up the animals there with security. So the avalanche expertise from NGI has vouched for that, and therefore they can stay and look after the animals and milk them. This is what the mayor of Kåfjord municipality, Bernt Eirik Isaksen Lyngstad, tells news. He says the scheme has been looked at because the alternative was to move over 100 animals. – It has proven to be difficult at such short notice. They are now looking at an arrangement with a guard arrangement where the auxiliary corps assists with guard duty, then they are inside and take care of the animals. That is the status now, says Lyngstad.
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