Norway needs better flood defences after extreme weather "Hans"

It is nearly two months since extreme weather “Hans” went on the rampage in Norway, after having wreaked havoc in Sweden and Denmark first. For two weeks, mudslides and large amounts of water created serious problems for people and businesses. Rail and road links were shut. The costs to society were enormous.

Everything was flooded

The extreme weather hit the Innlandet and Viken regions particularly hard. When “Hans” arrived at Innlandet, the water level in Norway’s largest lake Mjøsa was already high and rising quickly.

At Sveastranda Camping, 140 static caravans were exposed to flooding. Owners were told to evacuate and they came from near and far to collect their caravans – while the roads were open.

After a while, large parts of the camping area were flooded, including service buildings, toilet blocks and several huts.

The playground was also flooded. Photo: Private

Nature eventually took charge. On 11 August, the campsite was forced to close. At first, the owners hoped to reopen quickly but then came the message that the site would remain closed for the foreseeable future. 

Travel sector worst hit

The extreme weather “Hans” hit the travel industry particularly hard. In a survey of NHO’s members soon after “Hans” had passed, 8 in 10 travel businesses in the Innlandet county said they were expecting to suffer a loss. 

Nearly half of all NHO members in the Viken and Innlandet counties said they would suffer financially. The Gudbrandsdalen district was hardest hit, where 71 per cent said they would suffer financially.

Billion-kroner damage

When the weather had passed and insurance companies had had time to add up claims, the Norwegian Natural Perils Pool said 10,000 damages on buildings, contents and plots had been reported as a result of extreme weather “Hans”. The cost was an estimated 1.8 billion Norwegian kroner (€15.6m). The number of damages is expected to rise.

The Norwegian Natural Perils Pool connects the Norwegian insurance sector and the Norwegian state natural damage compensation scheme that pays compensation in cases where people cannot buy regular insurance.

Over the past ten years, compensation for damaged buildings and content after weather and other natural damage has exceeded 30.3 billion kroner (€263.3m). This was before “Hans” hit.

There has been a large number of damaged roads after "Hans" – both mudslides caused by the extreme weather and flooding. Photo: Norwegian Public Road Administration/Asbjørn Stensrud 

Extreme weather like “Hans” costs private individuals, companies and the Norwegian state far more. The figures above do not include damage to infrastructure like roads and railways, for instance. For many, the extreme weather causes big losses that are not covered by insurance.  

Could something have been done differently?

Mette Lunde Sveen and her husband Ola Petter Sveen have been running Sveastranda Camping near lake Mjøsa for 25 years, giving them many years of experience in facilitating camping in an area that is exposed to some flooding.

The campsite is able to deal with a maximum water level of 5.25 metres, but this summer saw abnormal water levels both before and after “Hans”.

Mette Lunde Sveen and her husband Ola Petter Sveen have had better days as owners of  Sveastrand camping than when extreme weather "Hans" hit Norway. Photo: Privat.

“We constantly work to elevate the camping areas, but we cannot prepare for a flood like the one we had this summer,” says Mette Lunde Sveen. They find it odd that the Norwegian Water Resources and Energy Directorate did not reduce the water level in Mjøsa before the extreme weather, which had been forecast.

“That might have allowed us to avoid such a catastrophic flood and to reduce the damage,” says Lunde Sveen. 

Hoping for a good autumn and winter season

As the water has receded, they have been working to get everything back on track. They still have some clearing up to do. Friday 22 September nevertheless became a joyous day as they were able to reopen. 

“It is particularly bad that we had to close during August and September this year because we were expecting a lot of foreign visitors now that the Norwegian krone is so weak,” says Mette Lunde Sveen.

It is too soon to say how much money they have lost. It is also not clear yet how much their insurance will cover. They now hope the guests will return.

“Luckily we have many loyal customers, so we still have hope,” says Lunde Sveen. 

Working 24/7

When “Hans” hit Norway, many municipalities established crisis committees, and regional preparedness councils met regularly. This was also the case in Innlandet county where people involved in preparedness, both public, private and volunteers, met to talk about what needed to be done by whom and who had the right resources to do which jobs. 

Faced with so much water, the infrastructure construction industry was particularly busy.

"Hans" created a lot of work for the infrastructure construction sector. Photo: Norwegian Public Road Administration.

“The first days and nights, everybody worked – whether you were a small or big actor. People worked all hours, but felt it was OK because they felt they were contributing and doing an important job,” says managing director Rangdi W. Krogstad at the construction association Entreprenørforeningen Bygg og Anlegg Innlandet (EBAI). She says this shows how important the construction industry is for civil protection.

Cooperation

When the Total Preparedness Commission published its report in June, it recommended closer cooperation between the public and private sectors for better handling of crises like war, but also for extreme weather like “Hans”. 

The Commission’s mandate was to strengthen weaknesses in Norway’s preparedness and to see how resources could be put to the best possible use. The report is now out for consultation.

“Cooperation and collaboration was important to get through the crisis in the best possible way. In light of the proposals from the Commission, the way things were done represented a good example of how to put into practice the way in which we should work together in similar situations in the future,” says Linn Alicia Slora Kristiansen, senior advisor at NHO Innlandet.

A boom for the infrastructure industry

There is a significant need for cleanup following the extreme weather’s destruction. This will provide work for both big and small infrastructure construction industry players in Innlandet, believes Rangdi W. Krogstad at EBAI. 

She hopes preventative measures will be prioritised more than before, once the larger jobs like building new roads and bridges begin.

“We know that sooner or later there will be another flood. We have to build roads and bridges in a way that makes us less vulnerable and able to withstand a new flood,” she says.

NHO’s member survey right after the “Hans” destruction showed that 55 per cent of businesses in Viken and Innlandet expect more frequent natural damage in the future as a result of extreme weather.

“We need to secure access and be better prepared nationally and locally for floods and extreme weather. Society can save billions of kroner if we are better prepared,” said Anniken Hauglie, deputy managing director for NHO as she presented the survey. 

A challenge for the building industry

While the infrastructure industry gets busy with more projects, Rangdi W. Krogstad at EBAI thinks “Hans” is bad news for the building construction industry. The sector is already struggling, with nearly all expansion programmes having been put on hold due to high prices, rising interest rates and war in Europe. There are hardly any projects to be had and companies have been forced to let people go.

“The public sector has to spend billions of kroner on the cleanup after “Hans”. I doubt this is the right time to start constructing new public buildings like schools and care homes. In other words, we will have a pause in construction which will hit the building construction industry hard,” Krogstad says.