Several areas in southwestern Norway have been hit by heavy rain and flooding as a result of the storm Jakob, which swept across the country on Thursday. The risk of landslides is high in several places.
In the municipality of Ullensvang, a few hours east of Norway's second-largest city Bergen, the situation is described as dramatic. A well-known hotel has been flooded and the central town of Odda, with around 5,000 inhabitants, has been cut off from the outside world due to road closures.
"All three roads in and out of the central town are closed. There have been several landslides and there are rivers that are about to overflow", writes Mayor Roald Aga Haug in an SMS to NTB.
Nearly 50 residents have been evacuated in the area.
"We are now mapping out if there are more areas that need to be evacuated as the water level is still rising", writes Haug.
In the municipality of Årdal, a bit further north, around 100 people from 25 households have been evacuated due to rapidly rising water.
A large number of roads in western Norway are closed and several bridges have collapsed due to water pressure. Additionally, there have been smaller landslides near several roads. In Voss, the municipality has sent out a flood warning to all residents in the village of Evanger.
There are no reports of anyone being injured.
