Residents of a small Icelandic town threatened by a volcanic eruption fear for their future and speak of their “apocalyptic” existence.
Thousands of Grindavik residents were ordered to leave last Friday as hundreds of earthquakes rocked the city. This small fishing town is located 54 miles from Reykjavik and is home to its famous tourist attraction, the Blue Lagoon.
Earthquakes continue to occur in the town, and many people are unable to return to the “danger zone” to retrieve their belongings.
Andrea Evarsdottir has lived in Grindavik all her life and doesn’t know if she will ever be able to return.
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Andrea Evarsdóttir, 46, a resident of Grindavik, said: independent person: “Everything seems unreal and I feel like I’m in a dystopian movie. I’m just waiting to wake up from this nightmare.”
The mother was preparing to go to Reykjavík to celebrate her son Björgvin Hrafnar’s 16th birthday when the house started shaking on Friday.
“Some of them [the earthquakes] It was like a big truck passed your house, and the bigger truck was like the same truck crashed into your house,” she said. “Everything was shaking so badly and the floor was going up and down.”
The family had planned to stay overnight at her mother’s house, but they received a call midway through saying they would be evacuated, so they left with only their belongings for the night and their cats.
Avarsdóttir made the difficult phone call to go home to get her cat and medicine, but was stopped at a checkpoint on Grindavikurvegur main road.. Fortunately, the mother was given special permission to return before returning to retrieve the pills and three pets.
Evarsdóttir lives in her mother’s two-bedroom apartment with her two sons, Björgvin Hrafnar and Thorgeir Ülfár.
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Like other Grindavik residents, Avarsdóttir was allowed to return to her home on Monday to retrieve her belongings, but had to abide by a 10-minute time limit.
She currently lives with her sons, ages 16 and 14, in a small one-bedroom apartment owned by their mother.
She described the sense of surreality and sadness she felt when leaving home.
“I only had 10 minutes. I didn’t have the mental strength to think. I was in a panic and just grabbed what I could see.
“I got all the clothes I could think of, but I left behind one of the suitcases I packed.”
A police officer pulls a barrier to block the road leading to the fishing town of Grindavik.
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The mother explained that the children are recovering from the shock and do not need to return to school yet, but it is still unclear where they will go.
The distraught mother worked as a director of a local and public school library and the family explained that her “entire existence is in Grindavik”.
The house where he lived for eight and a half years is still standing, but part of it collapsed in the strong earthquake.
“It was really difficult to see what some of the houses and streets looked like. My house looked okay, but this area is really unstable.”
family three-story house
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The mother now has to decide whether she wants to finally return to the town, unless the town is destroyed by a volcanic eruption.
She says residents are used to living with earthquakes, but living above the cracks of an active volcano is a different story.
“I love living in Grindavik, it’s a really nice, close-knit town, but I’m starting to worry that if I had to go back, I would want to go back,” she said. . “This area is really unstable. Would you like to experience evacuation again?”
Sigeir Evarsson, The 38-year-old also lives in Grindavik, but is unsure if he will be able to return to his parents’ home.
Sigeir Evarsson had just spent thousands of dollars renovating her kitchen.
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The teacher was scheduled to meet his brother and sister-in-law, but the continued earthquakes on Friday prompted the brother-in-law to come earlier.
“I’ve seen many earthquakes, but this is like nothing I’ve ever felt before.
“The source was two kilometers from my house. Things were falling off the shelves and I was standing in the kitchen wondering if it was okay to put a pot on the stove.”
Together with his wife and youngest daughter Sorgunnur Julia, 10, they left with their two cats.
Sigeir Evarsson and his wife Sofia Svensdottir are trying to stay positive despite not knowing if they will be able to return home.
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The 38-year-old and his wife Sofia Svensdottir, 39, say they are lucky because their sister-in-law has a spacious house with a spare room.
Evalson was allowed to return home on Sunday and was able to load his belongings into two cars.
“It felt like walking into an apocalyptic movie. The town was empty and lifeless. There were cracks everywhere.
“It was very strange walking into the house, the lights were still on and it looked exactly the same.
“Other houses are cracked in half. Mine was okay, but it’s in ruins a few meters from the road.”
Sigeyer and Sofia with their children Emilia Snairos (16) and Sorgunnur Julia (10)
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Born and raised as a Grindavik, The father of two is trying to stay positive: “I try not to think about the lava flowing through my house.”
“I try to think of this as an extended vacation. I watch a movie, have a beer, and try to stay positive and shut my mind off from things that are out of my control.”
