There are no further signs that Hekla is going to erupt, according to Björn Oddsson, a geophysicist at the Icelandic Police’s Department of Civil Protection and Emergency Management.
Media coverage of a possible eruption in Hekla has been widespread. The Iceland Met Office and the Department of Civil Protection has been receiving a lot of inquiries from the international press, ruv.is reports.
The Civil Protection Department has prepared warning signs about a possible eruption in Hekla and will put them up in the coming weeks. If seismic activity is detected, people in the area will be sent an alert via sms. Therefore, it is vital that people hiking Hekla take their phones with them. As reported, the activity may only be detected 30-80 minutes prior to the eruption.
The signs warn people that if they are on Hekla at the time of receiving an alert that a volcanic eruption is imminent, they should:
-Call the national emergency number 112.
-If possible, descend the mountain the same route as they came.
-If they are caught in ash fall, move perpendicular to the wind direction.
-Follow the ridges and stay on higher ground
Hekla last erupted in 2000.
