Insecurity. The word keeps coming up when we talk to people from Grindavík. The barely 3,700 inhabitants of the tiny Icelandic town had to be evacuated on the night of November 11, 2023, due to fears of a volcanic eruption. They waited and waited, fearing what might happen to their homes. The outbreak did not occur until 18 December. A four kilometer long fissure opened, just north of Grindavík. The lava that flowed to the surface never reached the city. No one was injured either, since the residents had been evacuated. But even though the outbreak came, the uncertainty did not disappear. There are many indications that they will have to live with it for a long time to come. The city is not only physically divided by cracks in the earth’s crust that have destroyed roads and houses. The inhabitants of the old fishing community are also divided. On one side are those who want to move back as soon as it is safe. On the other, those who doubt whether they ever dare to move back to their native place. Others are still unsure. Spectators gather to watch the volcanic eruption in Iceland. The picture was taken on 18 December. Photo: Ásta Haraldsdóttir It is not just the volcanic eruption itself that has been a major strain on the inhabitants. The many earthquakes in the previous weeks have also been a strain. The residents also know that this is probably not the last time a volcanic eruption will hit the area. – We know nothing. Thursday was the second darkest day of the year. But it also offered a glimmer of light for the evacuated residents, when they somewhat surprisingly got to visit Grindavík again. It happens just three days after the outbreak started. Now it seems to be over, say several experts. Where two days ago lava flowed out from several openings in the earth’s crust, recent images show only one small opening where the magma glows just below the surface. Nevertheless, no one is allowed to move back to Grindavík again any time soon. The roads into Grindavík have essentially been closed since the town was evacuated late in the evening of 10 November. Photo: Silja Björklund Einarsdóttir / news The evacuees have found shelter with friends, acquaintances and strangers who have wanted to help. Dagný Baldursdóttir says she is one of the lucky ones. She and her family moved in with friends in the Reykjavík area, where they still live. In the new year, they will move to another home, where they will initially live for three months. The time perspective is no longer. Dagný Baldursdottir. Here with his daughter. Photo: Privat And it is far from certain that they will ever end up back in Grindavík, once it is considered safe again. – We know nothing. Should it continue like this? Is this what awaits us in the next ten, fifteen, twenty years? Dagný asks rhetorically. She and her family moved to Grindavík seven years ago. There may not be any more. – We have invested time and effort in settling down there, and have had a wonderful time. But if the future turns out to be like the last three years, with volcanic eruptions and earthquakes, that is not something I want for me and my family. Two of her daughters have even said it outright: They never want to return to Grindavík. They are too scared. Three years of fatigue Kristján Þór Ásmundsson has had enough. – It doesn’t feel good. This began with the earthquakes of 2021, not just now. Everyone has had enough. I just want to start a normal life with my family, he says. Kristján Þór Ásmundsson doubts that he will move back to Grindavík. He longs for security and routine again, after a few years of earthquakes and volcanic eruptions in the area. Photo: Silja Björklund Einarsdóttir / news On Thursday, he returns home to pick up more clothes. In a small Toyota Yaris, he has driven the long way to Grindavík. There he was met by silence and icy roads that bear the impression of having been left to his own devices. And the neighbour, who had also made the trip home. – It was nice to see him again. I haven’t seen him in a long time, says Ásmundsson. Despite good neighbourliness, he doubts he will move back home. – For the time being, we will move north, and stay there until May. Then we’ll see what we want to do next. Life in Grindavík has been characterized by uncertainty. – When we go to bed at night, we always think: Will there be an earthquake? Will it be big? Will there be many? Can we sleep through the night? We are always tired, and worried about what might happen, says Ásmundsson. He says that many people are considering moving from the city, but still describes Grindavík as a good local community. – Everyone is friendly. It has been very nice to stay here. Wants to return to her life Uncertainty is no obstacle for Helga Dís Jakobsdóttir. She has her whole life in Grindavík and is determined to return to normal as soon as it is safe. She is not afraid either, despite the fact that this is probably not the last round of either earthquakes or volcanic eruptions. – No. Not at all. Moving away from Grindavík, the place where she was born and raised, is out of the question for Helga Dís Jakobsdóttir. Photo: Silja Björklund Einarsdóttir / news She nevertheless fully understands those who are afraid or skeptical about moving back home. But there are enough people who want to return home and contribute to rebuilding society. Although it won’t happen overnight. – There must be some kind of reconstruction so that life can continue here again. Although it is possible for us to move back, it does not mean that this is finished. It just means that we are embarking on the next task. We cannot forget it. – It will take time. But we can do it, she says with iron will in her voice. Cheers for the homecoming – Freedom! Sólný Pálsdóttir shouts when she meets news in the center of Grindavík. She has just seen in the Icelandic media that the outbreak is probably over, and is almost bubbling over with joy. Sólný Pálsdóttir beamed when she met news on Thursday. On one of the darkest days of the year, she received the bright message that the volcanic eruption that has threatened her hometown is probably over. Photo: Silja Björklund Einarsdóttir / news – Hopefully the volcanic eruption is about to pass. It’s been like a rollercoaster. When the eruption came, I was afraid that the house would be covered by lava, says Pálsdóttir. Pálsdóttir was born and raised in the city, and says that moving away from there is out of the question. – I have lived here almost all my life. It feels good to be back, even if I can’t move back home yet, she says. Pálsdóttir is happy that her hometown was not badly hit by the volcanic eruption this time, but knows very well that it could be different next time. – We must be prepared that there will be more outbreaks in the future. It’s just something we have to learn to live with. There could be a lot of volcanic activity in the future The uncertainty about the future is not something the people from Grindavík are only imagining. Iceland is located where two continental plates meet. They are slowly moving away from each other, about two centimeters a year. We can often feel the movements as earthquakes. When the plates move, it can also cause the landscape to change. Like here in Grindavík, where a flat street has now turned into a gentle slope. Photo: Johan Moen / news The tension that arises due to these movements also leads to volcanic eruptions, explains Rikke Pedersen. She is a geologist and head of the research center Nordvulk at the University of Iceland. – Then you get the crust repaired from below in the form of a volcanic eruption. They contribute material to the earth’s crust, so that there is not just a hole where the plates move apart, says Pedersen. This eruption is the fourth on the peninsula since March 2021. Pedersen, and many other researchers with her, believe that Reykjanes is entering a new period of much volcanic activity. Volcano researcher Rikke Pedersen. Photo: Silja Björklund Einarsdóttir / news The last time it happened, it lasted around 400 or 500 years. In that period, scientists have found that there were at least 13 volcanic eruptions. – That is what we can expect at Reykjanes from now on. The activity will move between the volcanic systems, says Pedersen. A question of time She says Grindavík is particularly unlucky, because it is located exactly where the continental plates meet. Therefore, she is also unsure of what the future will hold for the inhabitants of the small community. – It is probably only a matter of time before there is more activity. It may well be that lava will not rise and destroy Grindavik, but can you live with the knowledge that the whole earth may tremble under your children’s feet again? she asks. There is no conclusion. Pedersen is ready for that. But the most important thing is that the citizens get good information from the authorities, so they can make a well-considered decision about where to live. The strength of a small community When the residents were evacuated, many ended up in the capital area. Among them was Dagný Baldursdóttir. As a teacher, she could no longer go to work as usual after the evacuation, because there were no pupils left. In her new – and perhaps provisional – everyday life, she has experienced enormous goodwill from the people around her. Both from friends and family, but also strangers. This has meant that she is not only left with sadness and anger, but also something positive. – I have experienced how many good people there are.
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Grindavik a divided city after the volcanic eruption – Special
