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Evacuation around the landslide area is still in full swing Wednesday night.
NVE has defined a larger area as unsafe and has therefore sent SMS alerts to multiple households. The mayor confirms to TV 2 that the evacuation can increase from 700 people to 1500.
– You see the need to secure a larger area and then you have to evacuate more. We are 7,000 inhabitants, and now more than 20 percent are likely to be evacuated. It is a crazy and very serious dimension, says Mayor Anders Østensen (Labor) on TV 2.
Police fear that there are still people missing in the landslide area.
15 still missing
– 15 people have not yet been counted, says operations manager Tom Sandberg on TV 2 shortly before 4.30 pm.
This means that another six have contacted the police and the municipality in the last hour. None of them are hurt.
14 addresses were affected by the landslide, but it is not known how many housing units. Emergency services also do not have an overview of the extent of the damage, nor how many were in the area when the landslide occurred.
– People who have not been accounted for may be people who have evacuated or are celebrating, but there may also be people who are in the area of the landslide, Pettersen says.
A total of ten people are injured, one of them is classified as serious. No one has been confirmed dead.
– Initially, we received a message from people who got stuck after the roof fell on them. If someone is in danger, they should call 112, he says.
DEMANDING: The darkness makes the search for survivors that much more demanding for rescue teams. Photo: Terje Pedersen / NTB
Challenges in the dark
Three other houses were taken over by the avalanche Wednesday afternoon. There is a danger that they will catch more.
– The avalanche has taken over three houses recently, but all the people who live in them have been evacuated. Several houses are likely to suffer the same fate as they are located on the steep edge of the avalanche, says the task leader.
As darkness descends on Gjerdrum, the catastrophic work continues unabated.
– It is dark and the search for survivors is still in full swing. We look for the red zone in the least dangerous area, he says.
The landslide area will be illuminated with light sources during the afternoon and evening, but the darkness makes the job more challenging.
– The darkness is a limitation and makes the job more demanding. We are ready to continue work through the afternoon and evening, says Pettersen.
DESTRUCTIONS: Several houses have been taken over by the avalanche. Police say several people have not yet been counted. Photo: Thomas Evensen / TV 2
I have examined two houses
Police had to wait a long time to dispatch ground personnel to the red zone, which is the area of landslides most affected. It was for the safety of the crews, as the terrain is very unsafe.
At around 3 p.m., however, fire crews were able to inspect the first two houses in the area. Now they continue work in the area that is considered safest.
– Fire crews have managed to lower some of the roofs with the help of Sea King. Several people have been rescued from the landslides by rescue helicopters.
– The ones we’ve found are cold on the body, says Pettersen.
The task leader says that there are very demanding working conditions on the site as the landslide consists of fast clay.
– It is a very challenging mass, which is dangerous and unpredictable in relation to how it will behave, says task leader Pettersen.
– This is a disaster, he says.
– Out of control
NVE claims that the landslide is still in motion and will be for some time.
– The landslide is still ongoing. We have no control over how far the landslide will go before it stops. This is one of the largest fast clay landslides of recent times, says Torhild Hofshagen, NVE regional manager.
NVE estimates that the landslide is 300 meters x 700 meters, but that the exit point is even higher.
Hospital on hold
Lillehammer hospital has called in additional employees to work and has established a yellow emergency level, reports press officer Line Fuglehaug.
All Inland hospitals are on standby.
Ahus has organized a disaster reception on the red level.
– We mobilize a large number of personnel who are ready in the emergency room and to greet people at the operating tables, says Øystein Mæland, who is CEO of Ahus.
One seriously injured person has been transferred to Ullevål hospital, four moderately injured people have been transferred to Ahus and five slightly injured people are receiving treatment in the emergency room.
– The patients have chills and different types of injuries, but no one is described as seriously injured, says Mæland about Ahus’s patients.
The police claim that family members can keep up to date on the situation at the police.
Facebook has opened the feature that gives people in the area the opportunity to mark themselves as safe.
RESCUE OPERATION: A large rescue operation with huge resources is underway at the site. Photo: Ellen Kessen / TV 2
The municipality put crisis personnel
The municipality of Gjerdrum has had crisis personnel since 4pm on Wednesday.
Around 700 people have been evacuated and transferred to a hotel. Whether the evacuation zone needs to be expanded is constantly being evaluated, police say.
The mayor tells TV 2 that the situation is dramatic.
Several of the area’s residents are in shock after being rescued from the landslide area by helicopter.
He says the dramatic event affects the entire local community.
– The whole place is characterized by this traumatic experience. There is no water or electricity in the area. People are anxious, scared and very worried, says Anders Østensen (Labor).
Loud call from the police
There have been large forces in the area since the landslide occurred at 4 p.m. Wednesday.
#Gjerdrum #Ask; the police urgently request that NO residents return to the evacuated area and their homes. It is associated with great danger and leads to unnecessary use of our resources.
– Police in the East (@politietost) December 30, 2020
All emergency services, volunteer search teams and defense are in place. Both rescue helicopters and police helicopters are searching from the air.
On Wednesday morning, police received reports that residents were trying to return to the evacuated area.
Operations manager Svein Walle has great appeal to people in the area:
– Stay away. We are not sure what is safe and what is not, he says and adds:
– The danger of new landslides is definitely present.
EVACUATION: Everyone living within the red shaded area must evacuate and visit the evacuation center, police say. Illustration: Eastern Police District
Extend evacuation
At 11 a.m. on Wednesday the evacuation zone was expanded. A total of 700 people were evacuated Wednesday at 5 p.m.
Because there is no water and electricity in the area, the trailers with potable water arrived in the area shortly before 12 noon on Wednesday.
NVE is still working hard to assess the area of landslides.
– We are in the place and we help the police. We do geological assessments and assess the danger of additional avalanches, says Kristian Løksa, NVE’s director of communications.
Additionally, Red Cross volunteers in the efforts and assists with evacuation, among other things.
Currently, 91 crews and 20 Auxiliary Corps manned emergency ambulances are on site. In addition, there are enormous emergency services and defense resources in place.
Nursing home evacuated
The police claim that they have also evacuated a nursing home in Gjerdrum as it is within the red zone.
– The nursing home is in the process of being fully evacuated. It has been a challenge for residents, but it is carried out in a good way, says task leader Pettersen.
According to the Elvia electricity company, 629 homes in the area are without electricity.
CLOSED: Roads are completely blocked in the area where the landslide occurred. Photo: Terje Bendiksby / NTB
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