– We have an elevated water level up on Lake Heggmovatnet, which has approached the top level of the dam. This is what the chief of staff of the police in Nordland, Bent-Are Eilertsen, told news on Friday evening. – All floods are dramatic as they can take infrastructure, destroy roads, water and power supplies. That’s what worries us. Heggmoen is located roughly two miles north-east of Bodø town centre, and is the municipality’s largest source of drinking water. The water has also been dammed up, and this is where the quantities of water are now about to overflow. – The consequence of high water levels is that the water goes over the dam and that we get a large flow of water down to Vatn-Vatn, which in turn can drag water and movable objects down to the municipality’s water mains in Hopen. Heggmoen is a very popular hiking area outside the center of Bodø, with several waters nearby. Now the police advise against driving in the area until the water masses have been reduced. – Assured that the dam will hold The police have now set up staff, consisting of, among others, the Salten kraftsamband (SKS), Bodø municipality and the Civil Defense. They monitor the water level closely throughout the night. – Can the water quantities have consequences for the municipality’s water supply? – It can do it in the worst case, if everything goes wrong, says Eilertsen. Bent-Are Eilertsen is chief of staff in the police in Nordland and says they have appointed staff to monitor the large amounts of rainfall. Photo: Johannes Sæheim Pedersen / news But for now you are not there, says the chief of staff in the police. – Although it is very high, the forecasts say that it will stop raining in a few hours and that the elevated water level will be on Saturday morning, but still within the limit. – Can the dam burst? – All dams can burst, but we are assured that the dam will hold. Don’t want people in the area Eilertsen says there are many cabins and holiday homes in the area. In order for the water to have a way out to sea, the police want people to take care of loose objects, boats and other things that could end up in the water and potentially clog pipes. At the same time, they advise people not to stay in the area while the situation is ongoing. Several waterways have high water levels following large amounts of rainfall in Nordland. Photo: SKS – Is it safe to pick up objects while also advising against traffic in the area? – We have both the police, the power company and the civil defense on site, so if we see this developing, we should be able to get people out of the area. For now, it is driveable all the way up, he says. But for now there is no question of an evacuation of the area, says the chief of staff. For the time being, no danger to the water supply As the situation stands now, there is no danger to the water supply to the Bodø peninsula, reports the police. It is supported by municipal director Kjell Hugvik in Bodø municipality. Municipal director Kjell Hugvik in Bodø municipality says there is currently no danger to the municipality’s water supply. Photo: Eilif Aslaksen / news – We have a good and safe water supply in Bodø. For now, there is nothing about this situation that challenges it, he says. The municipality is following the situation closely together with the police and SKS. – We have our people on as normal, who follow along, he says. Ten people isolated in Narvik municipality Several places in Nordland are also now feeling the effects of the large amounts of rainfall. In the village of Bjerkvik in Narvik municipality, ten people are isolated after a bridge in Vassdalen had to close. The reason is a lot of water in the river, which in turn can damage the bridge. In Narvik municipality, ten people are isolated after this bridge had to be closed due to large bodies of water. Photo: Narvik municipality Emergency management manager in Narvik municipality, Ole Tobias Olsen, says that ten people must be isolated, as a result of the road being closed. – The bridge will not be opened today, and the situation is being closely monitored by us, he says. – Is there a risk of the bridge collapsing? – I cannot answer that, but that is what we are following. Warning issued Varsom has issued a yellow warning for flooding in the North of Nordland, Troms and parts of Finnmark. It will last until Saturday afternoon. They recommend securing and moving valuables away from exposed areas, and cleaning gutters, basins and other waterways of soil, gravel, twigs and leaves, so that water can flow unhindered where it normally flows. They also ask people to stay away from rivers and streams with large water flows. Published 08.11.2024, at 21.36 Updated 08.11.2024, at 22.46
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High water level near the top of the dam in Bodø – Residents are advised not to travel in the area – news Nordland
