The Governor: Inspection by helicopter

Press release from The Governor of Svalbard:

During the night, the western parts of Spitsbergen have received large amounts of precipitation. Several smaller landslides have been reported in the Longyearbyen area. Except for a small landslide which damaged parts of the dog kennel in the near vicinity of Longyearbyen, no damages or destructionhas been reported.

We are now working to get an overview of the situation. This includes inspection by helicopter with personnel from the Governor's office, Longyearbyen Community Council and an expert on landslides. More precipitation and rising temperatures are expected towards nightfall. A new meeting is scheduled with Longyearbyen Community Council and the Norwegian Water Resources and Energy Directorate (NVE) at 13:00 hrs. At this meeting, we will have a joint review of the situation, and of the need for further evacuation, Governor Kjerstin Askholt says.

The EPS Crisis Centre at "Rabalder" in the Culture Hall will be open today, for the time being until 16:00 hrs.

Read more at the Governors homepage.