The public shelter in Mo i Rana is almost more reminiscent of Noah’s ark than a place of refuge during acts of war. – Here it is a sea eagle that has been killed by the train. She is probably meant for stuffing. That’s what Ulla Myhre, emergency coordinator in Rana municipality says, while she looks down into a freezer in the bomb room. The dead and stuffed animals must quickly leave the room if there is a bang. – We have 72 hours to empty this room. In Norway, there are almost 20,000 shelters with room for 2.5 million people. In Rana, they are calling for guidelines on what condition these hiding places must be in. – We have been waiting for that for many years. After all, there are guidelines from central authority on what is expected of us, and what kind of civil protection measures are good enough, says Myhre. Emergency coordinator in Rana, Ulla Myhre, is concerned that no new shelters will be built. Photo: Frank Nygård / news Construction halt in 1998 There are around 50 municipalities in Norway that do not even have public or private shelters. And no new ones will be built either. In 1998, construction of new shelters was approved in the interim period by the Storting. So when a new school is built in Mo i Rana and a new airport, these are without shelters. This worries the emergency coordinator in the municipality. – The fact that a new airport will be built without shelters worries me a little, says Myhre. As the municipality has closed schools and built new ones without shelters, over two thousand places have been lost, and are now left with three rooms with 1,360 public places for a population of 26,000. – That in itself is a very small number considering how many of us there are in Rana, she says. There are around 50 municipalities in Norway that do not even have public or private shelters. Photo: Frank Nygård / news At the same time, a lot of money is being spent on defence. At the beginning of June, all parties in the Storting agreed on a new long-term plan for the Armed Forces for the period 2025–2036. 1,635 billion will be spent on defense over the next 12 years. – There is a lot of talk about total preparedness, but then we have to do something with it and not just with the defence, says Myhre. – Now is the time Liberal leader Guri Melby agrees and thinks we know too little about the shelters we have. – There are many shelters, both public and private, of which we do not have a good enough overview. And it doesn’t help very much if people don’t know what they are and how they can be used. She thinks it is time to look at the 26-year-old construction stoppage. – It was then that we lived in deep peace and hoped that this time of more uncertainty would not return. But now that time is here. We have to accept that. And then we also have to set ourselves up so that we know we can take care of people if we end up in a crisis or war. The public shelter in Mo i Rana must be emptied in 72 hours if something were to happen. Photo: Frank Nygård / news She calls for more attention to civil preparedness, and refers to two reports from the Defense Commission and the Total Preparedness Commission respectively. Where she thinks one has received more attention than the other. – The Defense Commission has been thoroughly followed up with a broad settlement in the Storting, and with billions invested, the Total Preparedness Commission has not received any similar follow-up. And it is only petty cash that is set aside in the state budget. – We live in an unpredictable time State Secretary in the Ministry of Justice and Emergency Services, Hans-Petter Aasen promises to invest more in shelters in the future. – We live in unpredictable times. Shelters are one protection measure, in addition it will be important to define what will be safe shelters in different types of scenarios. He says they are working on this, and that they will promote a more wholesome plan in the total preparedness message that will come shortly. – Is it time to look at the interim construction halt of shelters from 1998? – It is the Storting that must repeal the Storting’s decision from 1998. As the threat picture has changed significantly from what it was in 1998, the government will return to the Storting with the question of shelters in new buildings in the announced Total Preparedness Message. It will arrive during the year. Read the full response to the State Secretary here: State Secretary in the Ministry of Justice and Emergency Preparedness, Hans-Petter Aasen says shelters are an important protection measure for the civilian population. – Before the government built down the shelters, now we are busy building them up. In addition to the fact that we want to define safe places of stay for the population in Norway. This has a high priority and we will deliver a project in the total preparedness notification that will come shortly. – Does it include money? – There are requirements for how fast shelters must be ready. There is an expectation that they will, because it is an important conservation measure. Here, the municipalities and private owners of shelters have a responsibility, in addition the government has strengthened the supervisory activity against shelters. – Liberal Guri says it’s not good enough, what do you think about that? – The Liberals reduced civil preparedness over the course of eight years, either as a support party or as a member of the government. What Sp and Ap have done in government is to build up preparedness from the first budget we presented. We are equipping Norway for a future with concrete measures, Venstre reduced the preparedness. So it is an unfounded criticism. According to Aasen, the Høgre government, of which Venstre was a part, proposed in 2020 to discontinue the scheme with shelters. – We were and still are in disagreement about that. It was an expression of a short-term mindset from the previous government. Therefore, we have full pressure on the work both with shelters and other safe shelters for the population. Furthermore, he says that the reason why no new shelters are being built is that the Storting, in a resolution from 1998, decided to halt the construction of shelters. – Both shelters and typhoons are topics in the parliamentary report on total preparedness. – We live in unpredictable times. Shelters are one protection measure, in addition it will be important to define what will be safe shelters in different types of scenarios. So this is work that is being done thoroughly, and for which we will promote a wholesome concept in the total preparedness message that will come shortly. Published 08.11.2024, at 07.03
ttn-69
The shelter in Mo i Rana is full of dead animals – news Nordland
