Hveragerði Residents Banding Together To Rebuild Sports Hall Destroyed By Storm

Hamarshöllin, a beloved sports hall in the South Iceland town of Hveragerði, was horribly damaged in last Monday’s storm, having its roof torn off and sustaining other infrastructural damage.

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But all is not lost, Vísir reports, as residents of the town are joining forces to rebuild.

“This was naturally a frightening incident, to come here afterwards and see everything town down,” Hveragerði resident Birgir Helgason told reports. “But that’s how it is. We live here and might have expected this.”

Hveragerði residents are not taking the matter lying down, though, and have teamed up to lend their talents to rebuilding Hamarshöllin as fast as possible. People have been volunteering their talents in carpentry, plumbing, cooking and much more.

Friðrik Sigurbjörnsson, the president of Hveragerði town council, expressed gratitude for the turn-out.

“We’ve gotten a lot of support, both in-town from private individuals, contractors and more, but also from neighbouring municipalities who wanted to support us,” he said. “We will certainly make good use of that.”

In the meantime, sports centres in Selfoss and Akranes have offered their help for Hveragerði kids looking for a temporary space to practice until Hamarshöllin is back in action.