At first it sounded like thunder. A deep rumbling from the mountain, which filled the valley around the small village. Followed by loud booms. That was how the evacuees in Ål described the races. – You feel quite helpless, says Oddny Liahagen, local association leader in Ål Red Cross. – These forces are completely sick. There is not much you can put up with. Red Cross: – This is what we are training for Storm “Hans” hit the village of Ål in Hallingdalen with enormous force at the beginning of August. The water in the river rose. 14 landslides swept away roads and houses. – It was race, after race, after race. It is a miracle that no lives were lost, says Liahagen. – I understand that people are afraid. Liahagen and other volunteers in Ål Red Cross were not put on standby ahead of the storm “Hans”. But they knew something was about to go wrong. Oddny Liahagen in Ål Red Cross was one of many volunteers who worked several days straight during the storm “Hans”. – It was race, after race, after race, she says. As the water in the river rose, the local association leader received a phone call that the headquarters of Ål Red Cross was about to be flooded. She drove down to their premises, a stone’s throw from the river. But the bodies of water had already taken over the house. They set about rescuing the most important equipment. Then they started knocking on the doors of the residents of the village. People had to be evacuated. – We were often worried. We didn’t know much. When it was dark you couldn’t see anything, where it could crash next, says Liahagen. – The network was down. We drove around and only had the emergency network to go on. Then you are quite shielded. We depended on getting hold of people. But it was difficult, she continues. – We are not a large corps. But we got hold of 25 people who worked continuously for five days. Action leader in Ål Red Cross Hermod Slettemoen was one of the volunteers who showed up. From the evacuation centre, he and several others worked to organize the work, and think about what else could come. Without internet and phone coverage, the volunteers had to communicate through the emergency network. – It went from being a crisis scenario to a disaster scenario, says Hermod Slettemoen in Ål Red Cross. Photo: Private Red Cross had to start assessing the worst possible scenarios early on, says Slettemoen. – It went from being a crisis scenario to a disaster scenario, he says. – But I think the most important thing we did was make a plan and follow it. It soon became clear that the phone network was down, the internet was gone, and the roads out of the village were blocked by landslides. In the air above the volunteers, six helicopters thundered. It was the only way to evacuate people along the landslide-prone areas. Around 1,000 people were evacuated under “Hans”, they say. Just under 5,000 people live in the village. – It is difficult to see people who have lost everything they have. But the Red Cross is something people trust, and then it is easier to help. I am extremely proud of what we have done, says Liahagen. They had trained for this, says the local association leader. That’s why it went as well as it did. – This is what we train for. So when the storm returned last week, many probably thought “we can do this”. – It had to burst or bear – The road was completely gone, says Jørn Fredrikstad. He is self-employed in Søndre Land municipality. Before the storm “Hans” was to hit the village, he and several other volunteers were put on standby by the municipality. They were supposed to help secure roads and buildings from being flooded. – Huge amounts of water came. The water was two meters deep, he says. A pumping station near the river was in danger of being flooded. If it was destroyed, thousands could lose their water. Fredrikstad and other volunteers dug a massive embankment around the pump house. But the river continued to rise. – A major operation was launched to obtain bags of sand. It was a tremendous effort from everyone. We built it in seven or eight hours. Think, 90 large bags of sand and perhaps close to 300 tonnes of loose sand lying in between to prevent the bags from falling out. There are many trailer loads, he says. Just before ten in the evening they had to stop. There had never been so much water in the river. It was simply not safe to be near the water, the municipality thought. – Then it just had to bear or break, says Fredrikstad. – Either the sandbags can handle it, or things go awry. But we were done and it lasted. – We stand up again – I just wanted to stop the car and help right away, says Nina Gullingsrud. She came driving up the “stripa”, the main street in Nesbyen. The storm “Hans” had flooded large parts of the village. The flood moved steadily upwards between the old wooden houses. Down by the highway, the meeting point Hallingmarken was under three meters of water. It looked like the water masses would never stop. Nina sat almost in shock in the car. Nes municipality is known for severe weather. Hot summers, cold winters. Much rain. And the river that runs through the village has had high water levels before. – Nobody thought it would go so wrong, says Nina. Now houses and people were evacuated. Desperate neighbors tried to save their belongings. – Many wanted to help. The question is how to organize everything, she says. Mona Østdahl Gulsvik reported to an emergency center after the storm was over. – They did not have the capacity to organize the help. Then we’ll take the initiative, I said to Nina. The result was the group “Hallingdugnad”, which the two started with their friend Adnan Helja and several others in the local community. Over a hundred people turned up over several days to help. Together they cleaned out destroyed houses, helped families move and disposed of wreckage. – The Saturday and Sunday after “Hans” were completely wild. Many, many cried. We often noticed that people were apathetic when we met. They didn’t know where to go. And some didn’t dare ask for help. So we divided up work tasks. “You photograph everything, then we start cleaning.” We tried to meet people based on their needs, says Nina. Photo: Privat Many wanted to help after Nesbyen was hit by a historic flood in August. Nina Gullingsrud and several others organized themselves through the group “Hallingdugnad”. Photo: Private – People lined up. That’s what’s so nice about volunteering, you help when you can, says Mona. But barely two weeks after “Hans” was over, the flood came again. It wasn’t as bad this time, they say, but it shows how exposed this area is to extreme weather. – Thank God that we were able to clear so much early. Because the flood came again a few weeks later. And then the cellars were filled with water again. When Nina Gullingsrud and volunteer in “Hallingdugnad” Elaine Mae Sevre show news around Nesbyen, it becomes clear how much has actually been destroyed after two rounds of storms. The area around Hallingmarken, which a few weeks earlier was under three meters of water, is now full of uprooted trees and thick mud. A wooden bridge lies crushed against the rocks on the river bank. Nina has seen this before, but it is only now that the extent of the damage really dawns on her. – I didn’t think it would be like that… I’m almost in tears. This is the heart of Nes. It means something to everyone. Together with Elaine Mae Sevre, she is fully aware of what is needed in the future. Flood protection. The commitment and effort of ordinary people is not enough, they say. The municipality must make a plan for how to deal with extreme weather. But the gang in “Hallingdugnad” does not give up. They will continue to help people in need in the area. – If the municipality can come up with a plan, we will stand up again, says Nina.
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The heroes after “Hans” – Direct
