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So far hundreds of volunteers have helped and been on standby after the disaster in Gjerdrum, where several houses have been razed and many are missing after a massive landslide.
Stein Teppen has been a volunteer with the Red Cross for several years. When Dagbladet reaches out to him by phone, he goes to the Ask center to “watch his people.”
OFF: Stein Teppen of the Red Cross Auxiliary Corps felt powerless and fearful of further landslides. Photo: Red Cross
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– He got scared
He himself participated in the effort Wednesday morning. As they worked to evacuate the old people’s home in the village, news of a new landslide came through.
– Of course you get scared when they tell you there is a new landslide just outside the building, he says.
There will be much waiting for rescue teams when the crash site is as dangerous as in Gjerdrum in recent days.
– For my part, I feel helpless, and you get angry when you think of those who need help, he says, and adds:
– At the same time, we must reduce the risk and we cannot help at all costs. We have no volunteers to lose.
– many are anxious
– I found living people
Inge Murberg is the operational leader of Norwegian Rescue Dogs. He has been in Gjerdrum a lot the last few days and also participated in the rescue work during the earthquake in Nepal in 2015.
You can see the similarities between the disasters.
– There were large buildings that collapsed. The collapsed buildings in Gjerdrum are also expected to have airspace where people have managed to survive, he says.
When he was in Nepal, Norwegian rescuers found a woman alive five days after the earthquake. The work is carried out in the same way in Gjerdrum as there, he says.
– Dogs made marks before fire and rescue intervened.
SIMILARITIES: Inge Murberg has been on standby in Gjerdrum and participated in rescue work in Nepal in 2015. Photo: Norwegian rescue dogs.
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However, he does not recall having participated in something similar here at home before.
– I have been involved in a lot in Norway, but this is the only situation that has escalated so much and with so many resources, he says, and concludes:
– You feel humbled to be part of such a great effort, where so many people contribute.
New person confirmed dead
– Ethical dilemma
Erlend Aarsæther has been a volunteer with Norwegian People’s Aid for twenty years and has been involved in coordinating the effort since Wednesday’s landslide.
He was also present on July 22, and at the reception after the 2004 Thailand tsunami when the victims landed in Norway, several of them without family members.
SIGNIFICANT: Erlend Aarsæther at Norwegian People’s Aid. Photo: Ida Kroksæther / Norwegian People’s Aid.
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– There are strong impressions, but they cannot be compared to someone who has been exposed to an accident. But the fact that this feels meaningful and important makes it easier to take with you later, he tells Dagbladet.
Aarsæther says that in such situations “one ends up in ethical dilemmas.”
Start the search in the landslide zone: – Risky action
– If we expose ourselves to too high a risk, we cannot help, he says, and continues:
– At the same time, it is frustrating to stand there and have to prioritize your own safety only when you can possibly save a life.
– But the positives outweigh the negatives, he says.
