Extreme weather that battered southern Buskerud County early Tuesday was the worst weather in the area in 50 years. It came as a surprise, and resulted in flash flooding and major damage.
At least 20 families were cut off and scores of homes around Eikeren were all but destroyed. Some residents could only travel by boat, especially in Hakavik where the flooded Hakavik River tore through the local road in as many as three places. One resident told Norwegian Broadcasting (NRK) that he and several other homes were left isolated by the storm that dumped more than 100 millimeters of rain during a short period during the night.
Residents were scared by the intensity of the sudden downpour. “It was dramatic out here,” resident Arne Smørgrav told NRK. “It was a storm from another world, all night long. Everyone’s cellars are full of water, there’s debris everywhere.”
Some cars were completely covered by water, some residents had to be evacuated through upstairs bedroom windows and roads were washed out. “This is the most serious flooding that’s happened to us in Nedre Eiker for many, many decades,” said Mayor Bent Inge Bye. “I could never have imagined the damage we’ve had, it’s just really sad for all involved.”
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