People in Norway prepared Thursday for more flooding and destruction in the mountainous southeast as swollen rivers carried large amounts of water southward following days of heavy rain, with vast areas either inundated or hit by landslides.
Along waterways, people were being evacuated, houses emptied and cars moved to higher ground.
There had been fears that a train bridge over the Lågen river would collapse because of the large volume of water, but railway officials said Thursday that it was now stable. All traffic across the bridge was halted Monday.
On Wednesday, a nearby dam partially burst after Norway’s largest river spilled over and broke through the structure. Downstream communities had already been evacuated and no casualties were reported. Police said the situation at the dam was being continuously assessed.
There was no overall figure for the number of people who have been evacuated across the country, but thousands have been moved away from rivers.
Residents of the town of Hønefossen, through which the Begna river runs, were evacuated as large amounts of water filled its downtown.
“The water level will rise,” Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre said of the flooding late Wednesday. “It is a serious warning for the next few days.”
Storm Hans battered northern Europe starting Monday, causing damage and disruptions in Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Lithuania, Estonia and Latvia. Ferries were canceled, flights were delayed, roads and streets were flooded, people were injured by falling branches and thousands remained without electricity. Southeastern Norway was particularly badly affected.
“The extreme weather has had major consequences in several places in the country, the situation is serious and constantly developing,” acting Norwegian police chief Håkon Skulstad said.
On Thursday, the Norwegian Water Resources and Energy Directorate raised its warning for floods and landslides from orange to red for parts of southern Norway.
“This is a very serious situation that can lead to extensive consequences and damage,” it said in a statement.
Norwegian meteorologists also issued a red warning for extremely heavy rain.
In neighboring Sweden, parts of the harbor in the second largest city, Goteborg, remained flooded. Roads and train lines in the area were closed due to the water.
The Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute issued orange warnings -– the second highest level — because of a risk of flooding in parts of the country along the border with Norway.
