The rain has stopped in Norway and Sweden, but the problem is far from over. About four thousand Norwegians have been evacuated so far, almost half of them from a village near Oslo. ‘This won’t end until all the water goes back into the ocean.’

“And that takes a long time,” said meteorologist Reinout van den Born of Weer.nl. ‘The rivers are still flowing and even rising here and there. At Hamar they flooded the Viking ships to prevent the whole city from being flooded.’

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According to meteorologists, ‘several active shower areas’ are still emerging. ‘Both in the south of Sweden and in the south of Norway. Just like in the Netherlands, the land there is also saturated. Every drop is too much.’

Major damage

The damage must have been enormous, Van den Born thought. ‘Especially in Norway, the more mountainous country of the two. Rain fell for two to three consecutive days across the southern part of the country. Everywhere you look, you see water coming down from the mountains, taking everything with it. From mud to stone and wooden structures. Everything flows through the river.’

According to Van den Born, the Norwegians were only just beginning to realize how serious the damage would be. ‘Even though it was dry yesterday, code red is still in effect in southern Norway. And of course the problem is far from over.’