Residents in the hamlet Drangsholt received no assistance

Flooding, Photo: pixabay.com

The Flood: Residents in the hamlet Drangsholt received no assistance during evacuation

Bengt Henriksen had to evacuate his house in Drangsholt on the outskirts of Kristiansand during the flood. He believes emergency preparedness actors have failed totally.

 

When Tovdalselva flooded and put the hamlet Drangsholt under water, Bengt Henriksen and his family had to evacuate the house in a hurry. It took four days before the emergency response officer made contact, NRK reports.

– My message is that I and my dear wife and my little child are alive. I have not been asked. It’s actually the first time today somebody asks what the status is, and I think that’s abysmal, says Henriksen to the TV channel on Wednesday. He believes emergency preparedness actors have failed totally.

Drangsholt was heavily affected by the flood, and on Tuesday, the Fædrelandsvennen wrote that people in the hamlet were still completely or partially isolated due to the fact that the river flooded over its banks.

According to NRK, the head of the emergency services in the municipality of Kristiansand, Sigurd Paulsen, says that they had prioritized home nursing, as well as preventing the flood during the period when the residents were evacuated.

On Tuesday, Mia Heilberg the representing the residential society in Drangsholt, with strong criticism of the lack of preparedness from the municipality, civil defense and police. This also according to NRK.

The municipality’s emergency preparedness manager has previously expressed an understanding that the situation has been difficult and said that the work will be evaluated.

 

© NTB Scanpix / Norway Today