Kyrönjoki River surrounding homes in Ostrobothnia

Packed ice pushes rising water over riverbank

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The Kyrönjoki River beat the flood fighters on Monday. In Mustasaari near Vaasa, the packed ice formed an ice dam spreading over an area of three kilometres. The rising water overflowed its banks in the afternoon, and within some hours, the water surrounded a house and several cottages, and as a precaution, several residents had to be evacuated. Moreover, some local roads had to be closed because of the rising water.
     
Engineer Kari Syvänen from the West Finland Regional Environment Centre notes that as the riverbank cannot be heightened there is not much to be done. The only means available to fight the floods are to use the pumps of the Rescue Department as well as to build certain protective structures, including plastic sheeting and sandbags.
     
In the course of the evening, the residents tried to protect their houses. The only way to get back to the car was by boat.
      Svante and Nina Betlehem were brave enough to wade the flooding water on the road to their cottage. While the cottage was being washed by water from three sides, Svante Betlehem managed to climb onto the roof and fasten the sauna-building to a tree to prevent it from possibly drifting off downstream. The boathouse was practically up to the eaves in water, and the sauna itself had around a foot of water on the floor. The couple were obliged to make their retreat through the one remaining route out, via the forest, as the road had become completely impassible without swimming.
     
Ice dams have been pestering flood fighters in recent days. So far the Kyrönjoki River has caused most of the threats, and officials from the Regional Environment Centre are monitoring the situation closely.
      On Sunday, the floods were believed to have abated when the surface of the Kyrönjoki River started getting down in Ilmajoki, close to the city of Seinäjoki. By Monday night, it had come down by one metre already. However, the flowing waters have continued rising in Ylistaro, further down the river. According to Martti Kujanpää from the West Finland Regional Environment Centre, this is caused by ice dams.
      On Monday evening, the ice dam clogging the Kolpinkoski rapids in Vähäkyrö had not broken up yet. Furthermore, in the Lapväärtinjoki River ice dams had to be detonated to prevent the centre of the Lapväärtti municipality from flooding. Similar steps have been taken also in several other municipalities in Ostrobothnia.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Ostrobothnia preparing for record flooding this weekend (20.4.2006)

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