Tag Archives: flooding
DRAINING DISASTER: Mine 7 flooded by melting glacier caused by record heat; pause in operations until Aug. 17 due to COVID-19 now likely to be prolonged
A “major inflow of water” into Mine 7 from a melting glacier caused by a heat wave that triggered Longyearbyen’s highest recorded temperature in history is forcing Store Norske to undertake an extensive operator to remove the water and assess damage to equipment, which likely will prevent from mine from resuming operations next month following a suspension caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the company announced this week.
Alert: Heavy rain floods road to Endalen, closes pedestrian bridge at Perleporten
Heavy rain accompanied by strong winds Sunday night and Monday morning flooded the road to Endalen and forced the closure of the pedestrian bridge at Perleporten near the center of town.
The flooding in Endalen is primarily affecting a few buildings used by Store Norske for non–mining purposes, according to Martin Langteigen, who observed the road and took photos of it late Monday morning. The pedestrian bridge is closed for repairs to its foundation which are expected to be completed by the end of the day, according to a statement issued by the city of Longyearbyen.
Up to four millimeters of additional rain is forecast Monday afternoon and evening, with partly cloudy skies expected Tuesday and Wednesday.
AVALANCHE UPDATE: More road flooding in Advantdalen, governor again extends evacuation order
Occasional heavy rain resulted in the road being flooded late Sunday afternoon at Isdammen, on the outskirts of Longyearbyen heading into Adventfjorden. The storm also resulted in The Governor of Svalbard extending an evacuation order for about 80 homes at least until Monday night.
ALERT: Advendalen flooding blocks road, strands drivers and snowmobilers
Update 7:10 p.m.: Frank Jakobsen, director of LNS Spitsbergen, states “crews are working to clear the road, but “we recommend that all unnecessary driving in Adventdalen be avoided.”
Original article: Heavy flooding in Advendalen has blocked the road at the Bolterdalen river, leaving vehicle and snowmobile drivers stranded, and other rivers are at risk of overflowing.
“Slush wave and lots of water have made the main Adventdalen road impossible to pass,” wrote Tom Foreman in a post on a Longyearbyen community Facebook page, noting he is touch with people on the other side of the river. “Slush building up on the road and more water building behind the road and slush dam. Very dangerous. Trucks and snowscooters apparently stuck out there already.”
