Iceland Declares Emergency After 1400 Earthquakes
Iceland declared a national emergency on 11th November 2023 after experiencing 1400 earthquakes in 24 hours and the situation is continuously worsening.
The beautiful country of Iceland declared a national emergency on 11th November 2023 after experiencing 1400 powerful earthquakes in 24 hours. The earthquakes occurred around Iceland’s Fagradalsfjall volcano of the Reykjavik Peninsula. Reykjavik is the Capital of Iceland. Iceland's government has ordered the evacuation of thousands of residents fearing a volcanic eruption. According to Iceland’s Meteorological Department, more than 24000 tremors have been felt in the Reykjavik area since late October. The Fagradalsfjall volcano had previously erupted in July 2023, August 2022 & March 2021. The Reykjavik area continues to feel earthquakes & tremors. It felt more than 500 tremors on 14th November 2023 during the evacuation. Iceland’s Meteorological Department has warned of more & stronger earthquakes in the area. They have assured the people of Iceland that they are continuously monitoring all seismic (earthquake/ earth’s crust) activities in Reykjavik. The Civil Protection Agency of Iceland said that a lava tunnel is forming under the Fagradalsfjall volcano and it can extend up to Grindavík which is a tourist town in Reykjavik. However, they are unable to determine when and where the eruption will occur. Since 13th November 2023, Grindavik has experienced a lot of tremors. The town is home to some 4000 people. The Icelandic government ordered the safe evacuation of the tourists as a priority on the same day. Residents of Grindavik have posted pictures of the large cracks that have torn up local roads & greens on the Grindavik golf course. Emergency shelters, helplines, and help centers have been opened in several nearby towns by the authorities. One of the strong earthquakes to hit Reykjavik was a 4.8 on the Richter scale and occurred early morning on 15th November 2023. The Icelandic authorities have raised their aviation (for flights) alert to Orange after indicating a higher risk of a volcanic eruption than before. Scientists are worried that the volcanic eruption could be big and destroy both Reykjavik & Grindavik cities of Iceland. Iceland's Civil Protection and Emergency Management has also expressed their concern about the possible damage to both the city’s houses & infrastructure. A major volcanic eruption in Iceland happened in 2010. It widely disrupted air travel between Europe and North America. More than 1 lakh flights were canceled & airlines had to face a loss of $3 billion. Experts say that it can take almost a week for the volcano to erupt. Now we will have to wait and watch.
