Several thousand residents of small villages in northern Norway have been cut off from the outside world due to the aftermath of landslides.
On Tuesday, the highest level of avalanche risk was declared for several areas around the Arctic city of Tromsø. Overall, road conditions are very difficult due to intense precipitation and strong winds.
As a result of landslides that occurred earlier in the day, roads have been blocked, making it impossible to reach several villages around Tromsø, which are home to more than 2,000 people, as well as some settlements in Finnmark, where approximately 1,800 people live.
Some roads were closed in advance due to the threat of avalanches and landslides, before any incidents occurred.
Local residents typically have large supplies of food and essentials in their homes, so this situation is not expected to cause serious problems, said one man living in one of the “cut-off” villages in an interview with journalists.
Local authorities also assure that they were prepared for such situations. With the arrival of the brief daylight hours, municipal services, accompanied by geologists, will assess whether it is safe to start clearing roads in areas affected by the landslides.
