The case in summary: The case in summary: – The Christensen family in Vigmostad, Lindesnes municipality, have experienced flooding in their house three times in a few years. – Extreme temperature fluctuations created ice jams which led to the latest flood, which was worse than the previous ones. – The flood has caused psychological stress for the family, and the house has to be completely renovated for the third time. – Director of emergency preparedness, State Administrator Yngve Årøy, believes that the many extreme weather events we have seen recently is only the beginning of what we have in store. – The authorities believe that we must equip our homes to withstand extreme weather better. – The Christensen family cannot prevent another flood. They have considered moving the house, but it is not technically possible. Nor have they been given the opportunity to move to a new place. The summary is made by an AI service from OpenAI. The content is quality assured by news’s journalists before publication. – This time the water came all the way up here. 23 cm higher than last. It is a new record. Karl Erik Christensen shows news the fresh watermark a good distance up on the wall inside the living room. The white-painted house from 1890 in Vigmostad in Lindesnes municipality is again ribbed for wall cladding and insulation. The furniture is piled up on the floor. Now the home must be completely renovated for the third time. Karl Erik Christensen shows news the fresh watermark a good distance up on the wall inside the living room. Photo: Espen Bierud / news – We got the water in here in 2015 and 2017 as well. Now the house has to be completely renovated and we cannot live here for the next few months. There were extreme temperature fluctuations from minus 23 to up to ten plus degrees in a week when the flood came. This created the fatal ice jams at Vigmostad. Worst for the daughters Christensen says that the last flood was worse than the previous ones. The water came much faster. – Within an hour the water flowed into the house. I waded up to my knees in water and tried to save the inventory. He admits that the incidents of water entering time and time again have also become a psychological burden. All fixtures, floors and cladding must be removed in order to dry out the soaking wet house. Photo: Erik Wiig Andersen / news – The worst thing is for my daughters to see their home being completely destroyed again, says Christensen. In some flood-prone areas in this country, including in Nesbyen, a number of residents are offered to move out of their houses to new places due to frequent flood damage. The Christensen family does not currently have this option. – If we are to have a new house and new plot of land covered by the insurance, Lindesnes municipality must define the area as uninhabitable. That has not happened so far. They are also not allowed to sell the home as it is now. – We can’t move from the water, says the despairing home owner. The water was 25 cm higher on the home than during the previous flood in 2017. Photo: Privat Extreme weather in a queue Extreme weather has been in a queue in this country for the past year. Flood Hans ravaged Eastern Norway in autumn, there was snow chaos in Southern Norway in the new year, and hurricane Ingunn ravaged the North at the end of January. Together, the storms have caused damage to buildings worth many billions of kroner. Director of emergency preparedness in Agder, Yngve Årøy believes that the many extreme weather events we have seen recently are only the beginning of what we have in store. – We have seen more and more cases of extreme weather conditions since 2013, and this has increased sharply in frequency. Årøy believes that cases such as the extreme snow that ravaged Southern Norway and Eastern Norway in the New Year are probably just a taste of what is to come. An ice jam further down the river led the water back, over the road and into the fields towards Christensen’s farm. Photo: Privat Stricter requirements The authorities are now assessing how the recent extreme weather may affect new requirements for housing standards. Director of the state’s Directorate for Building Quality, Per-Arne Horne, says the incidents can quickly tighten the requirements. – There has been a lot of rain and snow in the past too. But the rainfall we’ve had lately is coming faster. There will not necessarily be more precipitation, but it will come in a shorter time. Then we have to buy time. Director of the state Directorate for building quality, Per-Arne Horne, says the many extreme weather events can quickly tighten the requirements for housing standards. Photo: Alexander Brown / DiBK Horne believes this means that many home owners must have better capacity to handle storm water. – And people must to a greater extent improve drainage, cracks in the foundation wall, roof structures, fittings and penetrations. – In the past, we have largely looked at experience data from previous years. Now we have to look more closely at how the future will be. – Nothing we can do Karl Erik Christensen and his family have had to move into a cabin in Vigmostad. They must expect to live there for up to six months before their home is dried out and rehabilitated, once again. – Those who built the house 130 years ago knew where to place it. There was never water in this home until 2015. So something has happened. Christensen believes climate change and human improvements in the river may have caused flooding in completely new areas. Karl Erik Christensen believes that flooding in new places in the village may be due to climate change and human intervention in the river. Photo: Per Kåre Sandbakk / news – The authorities are asking people to secure their homes better. Is it possible to prevent another flood in this house? – We have considered moving the house, but it is not technically possible with this older building. Someone has suggested building a flood embankment around the house, but that won’t work here either, unfortunately. – But one thing is certain, water will come in here again, says Christensen. news has not yet received a response to our inquiries to Lindesnes municipality in the matter.
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– We cannot move from the water – news Sørlandet – Local news, TV and radio
