"Seyðisfjörður has never been more beautiful"
Búðárfoss before and after the massive rainfall. Composite image/Aðalheiður Borgþórsdóttir
“I just think it all goes back to normal once the alert is lifted,” says Aðalheiður Borgþórsdóttir, a resident of Seyðisfjörður and the director of employment and culture at Múlaþing.
The heavy rainfall in Seyðisfjörður caused an increased landslide risk in the town, so it was decided to evacuate certain areas of the town. Evacuation was lifted yesterday, and the threat level of civil protection was reduced to uncertainty, which has now been lifted, since the heavy rainfall has ceased.
Búðárfoss waterfall was drying up before the rain started pouring down in the Eastfjords. Photo/Aðalheiður Borgþórsdóttir
Nothing else but accept evacuation with serenity
Asked whether there are be major disruptions to daily life due to evacuation, Borgþórsdóttir answers yes, saying that she had to move to an office in Egilsstaðir because her office in Seyðisfjörður was located in the evacuation zone.
However, she believes that the people of Seyðisfjörður, take the warnings and evacuation with considerable serenity, since this is not their first time dealing with the danger of landslides. She therefore expects everything to return to normal, now that the evacuation has been lifted.
The landslide fell around the house
Borgþórsdóttir lives just outside the area, which was evacuated on Monday, so she did not have to leave her home for the time being. Her house was also not evacuated when the big landslide fell in 2020, falling on both sides of her house.
“People were inside the houses when the landslide fell, which was of course a shock at the time.”
Is it uncomfortable when areas of the town are evacuated like this in light of the history?
“Yes, it’s not a good feeling, I’ll admit it. But we feel quite confident. Dikes have been built all around this area, and the riverbed has been moved so that it is further away from the houses and the whole place has been deepened and expanded to a considerable extent, ” she replies.
Búðárfoss is beautiful now and Borgþórsdóttir says that Seyðisfjörður is beautiful now with the autumn colours and waterfalls and rivers full of water. Photo/Aðalheiður Borgþórsdóttir
Incredibly beautiful to drive across Fjarðarheiði
She says that the rain was not all bad, though, and says that the surrounding area has seen beautiful scenery as the rain began to fall. For example, Búðárfoss waterfall was dried up before the rainfall but now the flow is returning.
“Seyðisfjörður has never been more beautiful, but now there is so much water in all the rivers and streams and the autumn colors. Driving over Fjarðarheiði this morning was just amazingly beautiful,” she says.
