– There is a lot of room for the heart here, but little room for the house.

GJERDRUM / OSLO (Aftenposten): The residents of Gjerdrum are stunned by the tragedy of the landslide. Everyone knows someone who is missing. But the landslide has also ripped the blood of the local community. Many fear years of broken infrastructure.

Residents of the new single-family houses in Brådalsfjellet remember the tragedy every time they look out the window, where most have a view towards the center of Ask and the huge crevasse after the landslide.

Some have housed family members who have been evacuated, collected clothing, cell phone chargers and other things evacuees need.

Jon Søbakk and his wife prepared the dinner that they delivered to the neighbors who have a house full of evacuees. Watch the helicopters for signs of life in the Nystulia ruins.

They themselves are immigrants in Gjerdrum, but they feel like part of the villagers. On New Year’s Eve, his wife Marianne Sandal Søbakk was working on the telephone for the municipality’s relatives, while Jon was at home with the couple’s three children.

– Many here have moved here directly from Oslo or Fjellhammer. We want children to grow up here, because it is a quiet place. When we were living in Skedsmokorset and looking for a bigger house, Gjerdrum was recommended to us from the start. It was small and clear. At the same time, it is closer than you think, which is the motto of the municipality.

Inclusive environment

In a settlement where half are immigrants, Søbakk is full of praise for how the local population has included immigrants.

– Here they welcomed us with open arms. Everything was clear both in kindergartens and in schools. Here you have very good public transport. We have what we need. Sorry. We had what we needed, says Søbakk.

The landslide, which destroyed houses and likely buried several residents, also destroyed water and sewage. And the central municipal institutions are located in the evacuation area.

– Much infrastructure has been demolished, inter-municipal services such as water and sewerage. There are rations, the primary school has been evacuated along with the nursing home and the health center. Everything is closed now, says Søbakk.

It is not clear when the elementary school can open

One of the institutions affected by the landslide is Gjerdrum Primary School, which is located about 800 meters from the site of the landslide. You are now in the red zone. This means that no one can use the building at this time. It is currently unclear when the school’s 331 students and 49 employees can return.

The first day of school after the New Year should have been Tuesday, January 5.

With 1,000 residents evacuated, the village has had a serious housing problem.

– We are already receiving text messages from people looking for a place to rent in the short or long term. One sixth of the village has been evacuated. Many of them may have trouble returning. It will be a big problem. There is plenty of room for the heart here, but little room in the house, says Jon Søbakk.

Popular suburban municipality

Until the 70s, Gjerdrum was a small strawberry municipality with approx. 2000 inhabitants.

– When Gardermoen’s main airport opened in 1998, the population soared, historian Håvard Kongsrud tells Aftenposten. He works as a village book author in Gjerdrum.

Gjerdrum is located 20 km south of Gardermoen, and today almost 7,000 people live in the municipality. Kongsrud describes Gjerdrum as a popular suburban municipality, with a population that has a higher education than the average Norwegian municipalities.

– The municipality is centrally located. The road connection to Oslo has been constantly improving and there is now a short travel time to Oslo, says Kongsrud.

It says that the protection of the arable layer has traditionally been strong in the municipality. Only in recent years has the Ask center grown.

– Gjerdrum has been reluctant to build on cultivated land. It started relatively late compared to other municipalities in the area, he says.

– Strong charitable tradition

The author of the village book says that because the municipality has traditionally been small, much relies on volunteer work.

– The culture house in Ask, where there is now an operations center, was built on a voluntary basis. The sports facility is also built on a voluntary basis. There is a strong tradition of volunteer work, Kongsrud concludes.

The spirit of hard work and unity was also the deciding factor in Jon Søbakk and his family choosing to live in Gjerdrum. A couple of years ago, they moved into a newly built single family house in Brådalsfjellet. The hillside neighborhood sits on rocky terrain.

– We walk with a sore lump in our stomach because we know there are still ten people missing. It will be a test, but Gjerdrum will succeed because we are who we are, says Søbakk.

– What’s so special about Gjerdrum?

– Here is a spirit of exceptional service. This made us choose to move here in 2008. Here retirees stand along the road with yellow flags to allow school-age children to safely cross the street every morning. Now everyone is experiencing tremendous care. We must accept it well.

He is sure that Gjerdrum will rise again after the tragedy.

– As long as we get some help to stand tall in the near future now, we will manage it ourselves, with the unity in town. Dugnadsbygda Gjerdrum will be back on his feet, says Søbakk.

Much infrastructure destroyed

Aftenposten stands outside the volunteer-built house of culture in the part of Ask that is not blocked, and meets Mayor Anders Østensen (Labor Party).

On New Year’s Eve he has met with family members and evacuees, at the same time that he has directed the crisis personnel of the municipality.

So far, most of it has been about the rescue operation and the evacuation in the village. But the seasoned Labor mayor has also started to think about all the challenges facing the municipality in the wake of the landslide tragedy.

– We face a formidable task ahead. You cannot use the town hall. Also a school, a nursing home and a kindergarten are in the so-called red zone and cannot be used. Water and sewage are gone in some parts of the area, Østensen says.

– How do you see the future?

– We must take the most important first. Now it is an acute phase, where the most important thing is to watch. And then, step by step, we must ensure that we become a society that emerges and is maintained, says the mayor, which among the inhabitants is only called “Anders.”