– This is something we have talked about before, and after the landslide on Friday, we must together with naudetatar and locals have a thorough evaluation of what we will do in the future, says mayor of Stryn municipality, Per Kjøllesdal. On Friday, a large avalanche came loose at an altitude of 1600 meters. Down in the valley, many tourists had already found their way to the popular tourist destination. Several cars were involved in the landslide, and one caravan was completely destroyed. Fortunately, everything went well with everyone involved. Do not understand how dangerous it is Kjenndalen is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Nordfjord. Every quarter of a year, thousands of tourists stop by. But tourists often do not know how dangerous the beautiful and spectacular western nature can be. Every quarter of a year, there are stories of tourists crossing barrier bands to get as close as possible to, for example, glaciers and the like. – People do not understand how dangerous nature can be. Many of those who come are foreign tourists. They have not heard about the landslide that took place on Friday, so last Sunday I heard about more people who were about to cross the police roadblocks. That is the victory of Ingvill Tronrud, who runs the restaurant town Kjenndalsstova. She calls for better routines for checking the snow masses in the spring. – The forces of nature are there, and we as a region must inform about this in a way that hits the audience, says Maria Lindvik, who is head of tourism at Visit Nordfjord. Can not be intimidated On Monday, new tourists are on their way into Lodalen and Kjenndalen. German Katja Märkel has caught the avalanche, but has not been intimidated. – No, I’m not afraid to come here. Such is nature. I was looking forward to seeing the glacier, but when it’s the way it is, it’s all right, says Märkel. Instead of a trip to the glacier, tourists today have a boat trip on Lodalsvatnet. No danger of more large landslides Geologist Odd Are Jensen in the Norwegian Water Resources and Energy Directorate (NVE) says that there is now no danger of more large landslides in Kjenndalen, like what happened on Friday. – We will probably be able to see more less common spring landslides, ie smaller landslides that spread little. The danger of the big landslides is probably over for this year, even though we can not completely rule out more. Landslides in Kjenndalen are not uncommon. But usually the landslide tends to go earlier in the year, before the tourist season. This year, a cool spring has led to the snow melting starting later than usual. – But it is possible to make risk assessments in the spring, and the municipality must start with that, says Jensen. The municipality is also aware of and one of the measures that mayor Per Kjøllesdal already mentions that are currently annual landslide assessments before the tourist season starts in the spring. – We must have a close dialogue with the locals who know the area. I also see in my mind that we have to come up with a helicopter and professionals to assess the snow situation, he says.
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Will have annual landslide assessments in Kjenndalen before the tourist season – news Vestland
