Possibly only a two hour warning

The warning period of a possible volcanic eruption near Grindavík could be extremely short, even just two hours. Next week will make it clearer when it will be possible to ensure acceptable safety in Grindavík.

Víðir Reynisson, Director of Civil Protection, state-law-enforcement department, points out that a new hazard assessment map from the Icelandic Met Office confirms that the inflow of magma has stopped during the magma dike that was created on November 10.

New chapter

“But at the same time, magma flows under Svartsengi and land there continues to rise. What we’re looking at now is a new chapter,” Reynisson tells us, pointing out that if there were to be a volcanic eruption, the chances are that the warning period leading up to an eruption  could be extremely short.

“The Icelandic Met Office says that it may be as short as two hours after the first burst of seismic activity and that we can see a volcanic eruption on the surface,” he says.

“But it can happen soon, but it can also happen in a long time.”

Hazard level not changed

“There is still movement and there is still a land rise there, and while there is, we need to be very vigilant,” says Reynisson, adding that the hazard level for civil protection will therefore still be in place.

“The other side of the crisis assessment is the situation in Svartsengi, the cracks that have been created there, the impact on the buildings in the depression,” he says.

“We need to be certain that this scenario is to some extent over before we start to change the hazard assessment for Grindavík.”

Next week will be used for filling the cracks

Víðir says that next week will be “completely under-staffed” in filling in the cracks in the area. “Then we will continue to re-evaluate the hazard assessment for Grindavík.”

He says it’s clear that there are a number of services that can’t be provided in Grindavík except in limited numbers during the winter.

“There are damages to school buildings and playschools. There are open areas and playgrounds that are even cracked and open. There are a number of things that need to be worked on before you can return to normal life in Grindavík.”

Blue Lagoon Still Closed

“Most companies have started operations in Grindavík and residents of Grindavík can stay in town during this time. Nothing is changing,” he says.

“After the weekend, the operations in Svartsengi will be reviewed,” he added, mentioning both the Blue Lagoon and the power plant in Svartsengi.

The current closure of the Blue Lagoon will be valid until 7 am Saturday, December 14 and the status will be re-evaluated, according to an announcement on the website of the Lagoon.

A clearer picture in the coming week

“We understand that the residents of Grindavík want to get back to their homes,” says Reynisson, mentioning that Civil Protection and Emergency Management is working hard to reduce the amount of time the residents need to be outside their hometown.

“Next week will tell us how long it will take to ensure acceptable security in Grindavík,” he says.

Two things need to change

What would need to change to allow Grindvíking to move back to their home?

“There are two things in fact. On one side, there need to be some changes regarding the dangers of earthquakes. We would have to be able to rely on the time we would have to evacuate the town. We are still just figuring out if this can be done within the warning period that we might get,” he replies.

“On the other hand, there’s the security in Grindavík itself. How the infrastructure, like waterpipes, electricity et cetera has been impacted is not yet clear because people have spent so little time in the area since November 10. We don’t know exactly how the drain is and how much heating, cold water and electricity can withstand pressure. This has been a huge trial and a lot of repairs have been done, but probably a lot is still left to do.”