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The storm currently raging in Reykjavík and across Iceland has continued to cause havoc. ICE-SAR search and rescue workers have been receiving non-stop calls for assistance.
ICE-SAR PR officer Ólöf Snæhólm Baldursdóttir said that they had received requests for help at one to two minute intervals.
Rescue workers have also been busy around the country where stormy weather and significant snow prevails. The weather in Vík is reportedly the worst in several decades, ruv.is reports.
Emergency services in the capital area have requested that parents, guardians and school staff ensure that children are picked up from schools and not left to find their own way home in the storm.
From Reykjávík. Close to the IR office. Video by Örn Marinó Arnarson. Source: YouTube.
A total of 19 people were taken to the emergency room at Landspítali national university hospital this morning after being injured in the storm. Seven were taken to hospital by ambulance. Among the injuries are broken bones and cuts, including to the head, mbl.is reports.
Director of the emergency room Ragna Gústafsdóttir warns against going outdoors unnecessarily. “It is extremely dangerous to be outside in these conditions,” she said.
From downtown Reykjavík. Photos by Páll Stefánsson.
According to Ragna, those who were taken to the ER were all adults who under normal circumstances should be able to withstand stormy conditions. She said that it was particularly dangerous to walk near tall buildings and in narrow streets where the wind is strongest.
Rescue workers have assisted in securing roofs in the capital area. Roof tiles have blown off Alþingi, the Icelandic parliament.
A truck was blown off the road at Kjalarnes, where gusts have reached 51 m/s, on the outskirts of Reykjavík this morning. The truck landed on its side but the driver escaped with minor injuries.
Rescue workers have also assisted health workers in East Iceland getting to work.
Traffic lights on several streets in Reykjavík were out of order earlier today. It is not yet known if the malfunction is the result of the weather.
Click here to view more pictures and video of the storm.
Related stories:
November 2 | All Search and Rescue Workers Called out Due to Storm
November 2 | Strong Wind in South and West Iceland
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