Heavy rainfall causes widespread emergencies in South Ostrobothnia

Exceptional heavy rainfall kept emergency services busy in South Ostrobothnia last night. According to duty chief Petri Järvensivu from the South Ostrobothnia Rescue Service, the night was hectic, with over 70 tasks related to the heavy rain reported by Sunday morning. The situation is now calming down, he added.

Efforts have focused on pumping water from basements and underpasses, while roads have also been affected by flooding. The busiest period occurred around midnight, with activities continuing until Sunday morning. Järvensivu noted that the local firefighting staff in the Seinäjoki area alone was insufficient to handle all the emergencies, leading to personnel from several fire stations being deployed.

He characterized the volume of tasks triggered by the intense rainfall as exceptionally high, remarking, “I cannot recall anything similar.”

The extraordinary weather conditions have also caused significant work for rescuers elsewhere over the weekend. On Saturday, a thunderstorm front in North Karelia resulted in a total of 56 storm-related emergency response assignments for the rescue service, primarily involving fallen trees blocking roads. Recovery efforts were still ongoing on Sunday.

In South Karelia, a thunderstorm swept through on Saturday, bringing strong winds and heavy rain. The winds knocked down trees onto roads, yards, and houses, while the heavy rainfall caused minor flooding in the region.