5:15 PM - 6:45 PM
[SVC27-P01] Emergency operations and the resident evacuation for the volcanic activity at Reykjanes Peninsula in Iceland, from 2023
Keywords:Grindavik, lava flow, fissure, Icelandic Meteorological Office, Almannavarnir
Mount Fuji Research Institute plans to initiate a study on the chronological analysis of past volcanic disasters from 2024, to prepare practical evacuation plans for a future eruption of Fuji volcano. In the study, we will collect information on cases where residents have evacuated during volcanic eruptions in Japan and other countries to explore the requirements for achieving prompt evacuation actions.
As the first case study, we analyzed the time sequence of the volcanic eruption on the Reykjanes Peninsula in Iceland that occurred on Dec18, 2023, Jan14, 2024, and Feb8, 2024 (as of Feb15, 2024). Residents of Grindavík completed their evacuation at the point of heightened seismic activity and crustal movements on November 10, before the volcanic eruption. This swift action was made possible by the prompt response of the Icelandic Meteorological Office (IMO) and the Department of Civil Protection and Emergency Management (Almannavarnir), which escalated the Civil Protection Emergency Levels, to which the residents responded accordingly.
On the Reykjanes Peninsula, IMO indicates the continued active state of volcanic activity, leading to the ongoing evacuation of all residents in Grindavík. According to news reports from RÚV and other media, there are sustained economic and psychological burdens, including damage to business of fisheries and seafood processing corporations, the disruption of community ties, and demands on the government for housing assurances. Furthermore, due to the destruction caused by lava flows on Feb8, including the damage to hot-water pipes, power networks, and highway, the Southern (Suðurnes) region has suffered consequences affecting residents' livelihoods and local economic activities.
As the first case study, we analyzed the time sequence of the volcanic eruption on the Reykjanes Peninsula in Iceland that occurred on Dec18, 2023, Jan14, 2024, and Feb8, 2024 (as of Feb15, 2024). Residents of Grindavík completed their evacuation at the point of heightened seismic activity and crustal movements on November 10, before the volcanic eruption. This swift action was made possible by the prompt response of the Icelandic Meteorological Office (IMO) and the Department of Civil Protection and Emergency Management (Almannavarnir), which escalated the Civil Protection Emergency Levels, to which the residents responded accordingly.
On the Reykjanes Peninsula, IMO indicates the continued active state of volcanic activity, leading to the ongoing evacuation of all residents in Grindavík. According to news reports from RÚV and other media, there are sustained economic and psychological burdens, including damage to business of fisheries and seafood processing corporations, the disruption of community ties, and demands on the government for housing assurances. Furthermore, due to the destruction caused by lava flows on Feb8, including the damage to hot-water pipes, power networks, and highway, the Southern (Suðurnes) region has suffered consequences affecting residents' livelihoods and local economic activities.