Hundreds evacuated after major floods hit western Norway

© Arne Sandvold / twitter

Flam, Norway, October 2014.

After 2 days of heavy rainfall, parts of western Norway suffered major flooding after rivers overflowed in the counties of Sogn og Fjordane and Hordaland late on Tuesday 28 October 2014. Heavy rain has also continued to affect parts of Rogaland county.

Initial reports suggest that Odda and Voss in Hordaland and Flåm, Laerdal, Årdal and Stryn in Sogn og Fjordane have been the worst affected.

The heavy rainfall has also led to avalanches in some areas of western Norway.

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Sogn og Fjordane

Flåm

200 people in lower Flåm in West Norway were evacuated on Tuesday evening after the Flåm river river burst its banks. River levels are expected to remain high for the next few days. All the roads to Flåm were flooded and the town was cut off for some time. Bridges and tunnels have also been either damaged or blocked.

Laerdal

A total of 29 people have been evacuated from their homes in Laerdal after flooding struck in the area. A further 41 people left without road connection as a result of flood damage.

Årdal

Local media say that the municipality of Årdal has also suffered major flooding, forcing 20 people to evacuate.

Stryn

Flooding and landslides have blocked roads in the Stryn area. It is unknown whether any houses have been damaged as local authorities have not yet been able to carry out a full assessent of damage.

Hordaland County

Odda

Around 50 people had to be evacuated from their homes on Odda on tuesday after heavy rain caused flash floods and the local river to overflow. Local media say that as many as 5 houses along the river have been completely destroyed.

Voss

The Norwegian Meterorlogical Service issued a red flood warning for the Voss area yesterday after concern over levels of the rivers and lakes in the area. Local media today are reporting that the town has seen some flooding which has caused severe damage and left several houses under water.

Rainfall Figures

Rainfall figures for western Norway from WMO for 24 hours between 28 and 29 October 2014:

Mjolfjell (near Voss, Hordaland) - 66.9 mm

Stryn (Sogn og Fjordane) - 67.3 mm

Sauda (Rogaland)- 68.0 mm

© Camilla Borg