Risk of Landslides in Seyðisfjörður Puts River in Spotlight

The national police commissioner, in consultation with the East Iceland chief of police, decided yesterday to declare an alert phase in the town Seyðisfjörður, the East Fjords, due to a risk of landslides, following days of heavy rain, mbl.is reports. Subsequently, nine houses in the town were evacuated.

You may remember that in December of last year, at least ten houses were severely damaged or destroyed in Seyðisfjörður in a series of landslides. See our coverage from last year here and pictures of last year’s damages here.

The houses that this time have been evacuated are close to the wound left in the mountain by last year’s landslides.

As a preventative measure, a light tower has been installed in the town to light up Búðará river, which cascades down the mountain, making it easier to monitor the risk of landslides. That makes it possible to detect any changes in the mountain slope or to see if the river gets blocked.

“If the river gets blocked, that’s a strong indication that some movement is taking place that shouldn’t be,” states Davíð Kristinsson, vice chairman of the Seyðisfjörður rescue team.

He states that since last year’s landslides, residents have been on guard against landslides. It gives them reassurance, though, to know that the mountain is being monitored.

“We don’t know how long [the evacuation] will be in effect. It could possibly be for a week, so it’s very inconvenient for people,” Davíð concludes.

The rain has tapered off today, but considerable rain is in the forecast for the East Fjords on Thursday and into Friday.

The following pictures were posted on Facebook by the Seyðisfjörður rescue team Ísólfur: