A devastating hurricane, at least by European standards, hit northern Europe, including the southern parts of Sweden between 8 and 9 January 2005. In Sweden, at least 15 people have been killed as a direct consequence of the hurricane. Severe damage struck the forests and parts of the infrastructure, where a conservative estimation gives that at least 40 million cubic meters of timber was destroyed, which equals more than five years of normal harvest.

The hurricane surely showed the vulnerability of the modern society. The busiest rail trunk through central Sweden was closed for a week to restore damages and get away trees. Further,
it took months before all fixed-line telephones and power were fully restored.

Apart from the cost of the lost and destroyed timber, restoration of the infrastructure hit costs of at least SEK 1bn.

Trying to capture the extent and magnitude of this disaster from the ground is somewhat futile, but I decided to go there when enough roads were cleared.
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