Landslide outside of the town and evacuation order still in effect
Evacuations in designated areas in Seyðisfjörður will still be in effect today. mbl.is/Eggert Jóhannesson
“We assume that the evacuations that have been carried out will continue today,” says Kristján Ólafur Guðnason, the East Iceland police chief, but yesterday it was decided to evacuate houses in Seyðisfjörður due to a precipitation forecast.
The country is experiencing heavy rainfall and the civil protection crisis level was declared yesterday in the East Fjords, with a level of uncertainty in effect throughout the East Iceland region. The precipitation is expected to decrease by midnight tonight.
Landslide outside of the town
Guðnason says that things have been going well so far and that police have not been notified of damage due to water. However, the Icelandic Met Office and the first responders continue to keep an eye on the weather, with the forecast of a heavy rainfall until midnight tonight.
He says there has been a landslide in Námur in Borgartunga outside of Seyðifjörður. The area is outside of urban areas and is inside a confined area due to evacuations.
“But you can see from a distance that a landslide has fallen,” he says.
When asked what the situation is in Eskifjörður, Guðnason says it looks like rivers are taking good care of the precipitation and so no special preparedness is expected there, although of course the situation continues to be monitored carefully.
