Fetsund 18.9.95
Hi

I am now going to tell you a little about what it was like in Fetsund during the flood this summer. It reached its highest point about June 10th 1995. The main road to Liilestrøm was closed but, fortunately, the old road lies a bit higher in the terrain and was restored and opened in record time. Huge walls of sandbags were erected around Kjeller airport and the Telephone company's telephone central, in addition there were smaller sand walls constructed in Fetsund and around Lillestrøm. Despite the ramparts many people had to move out of their houses. Luckily nobody died but field after field was ruined and polluted because of the disgusting, brown poisonous water. The reason that the water was poisonous was because there was so much fertilizer from the farmers' fields and other poisonous stuff. If we now consider the Glomma, which is Norway's longest river this was the worst. With this river all kinds of strange things came flowing, like dead animals, lots of trees, tons of logs and sticks. There is a nest for swans on Øyeren which is a lake just outside of Fetsund. This nest is on a small raft which is connected to the bottom of the river by a long chain. During the flood this chain was a little too short so half the nest was under water and a swan family was living in the nest at this time.

I hope the flood doesn't hit you!

Warm greetings from Åshild

Translated by Steven Mohn, December 1999

Updated January 1st 2000 by The Viking Network