Continuous rain has made rivers in Ostrobothnia (Pohjanmaa) region in Finland to overflow their banks in a very unusual occurrence at this time of year. The water has surrounded many houses in Kauhajoki and Ilmajoki and some roads have been closed. So far there is no danger to the houses as the water is being led to a designated flood area. The region has seen exceptionally heavy rainfall for the entire summer and autumn period.
According to local media, another severe situation is currently being dealt with in town of Kurikka, where waters levels at Pitkämö artificial lake have risen above alarm levels, causing a theoretical risk of a dam break. Water is currently being slowly led out of the lake through a small emergency hatch and the situation will take hours to resolve in any case. The town lies below the lake that has an acreage of over 1 square kilometre.
***Update Sunday afternoon***
The danger has passed in Kurikka but situation has stayed difficult in some other parts of the region. Newspaper Ilkka writes that a handful of people have been evacuated in Kauhajoki with some houses threatened also in Ilmajoki and Kristinestad. Several more roads are unusable and there is a possibility that traffic on national road 8 might be affected as well.
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