RSOE Emergency and Disaster Information Service

Situation Update No. 5

Posted:2010-03-21, 04:53:35 [UTC]

Ref.no.: VE-20100321-25390-ISL

Situation Update No. 5
On 2010-03-21 at 15:17:19 [UTC]

Event: Volcano Eruption
Location: Iceland Municipality of Rangárþing eystra Volcano Eyjafjallajökull

Number of Evacuated: 600 person(s)

Shortly after midnight Sunday, a volcano, dormant since 1821 in Iceland, began spewing magma 300 feet into the air and threatening to further erupt, which could potentially cause flooding from the Eyjafjallajokull glacier nearby. This event, which has been monitored for the past week when seismic activity began to be noted 75 miles east of Reykjavik and approximately six miles below ground, has proven to be a microcosm of excellent emergency management procedures. The Icelandic Civil Protection Department (ICPD) has employed the “Three Cs” of emergency management—communication, cooperation and coordination—with precision and forethought. The University of Iceland’s Institute of Earth Science has been communicating with the ICPD as seismic activity has increased over the past week. The ICPD had issued advanced warnings to residents in the immediate area and kept the government involved. When a half-mile-long fissure opened early Sunday morning and ash began spewing two miles into the atmosphere, the government declared a state of emergency and implemented the evacuation plan to remove 600 people from the perimeter of danger surrounding the volcano. As part of the plan, air traffic temporarily was cancelled due to the ash cloud. Coordination between all governing bodies has been—so far—flawless and the cooperation of evacuees has made this appear more like an exercise than an actual event. As a result, the fear gripped by headlines should ease worries more than provoke anxiety. It’s hopeful that other governments would follow Iceland’s procedures as a case study to mitigate potential future, similar problems.