“I think most of us did not sleep well last night,” Ólafur Eggertsson farmer at Thorvaldseyri said to mbl.is. He is one of about 50 people living in farms close to the Eyjafjallajökull, the site of the volcanic eruption in Iceland. He is happy that he can sleep in a safer place this coming night.
Thorvaldseyri. Eyjafjallajökull glacier in the background. Photo: Páll Stefánsson/Iceland Review
Eggertsson says that it was an uncomfortable feeling being alerted that an eruption was underway. Most people expected to be told that an eruption might be likely soon. He says he is not in doubt that he will sleep better being in a safe place rather than being at home where danger might be imminent if the eruption moves in under the glacier.
At seven o’clock this morning the farmers at Thorvaldseyri were given permission to go to their farm to milk the cows. The process was repeated this evening. Two cows had calves last night and they had to be attended to. Life at the farm does not standstill, even though an eruption is closeby.
Eggertsson notes that the earthquakes this evening are similar to the quakes that were found yesterday evening. They are few but stronger than they were when they earthquake activity was greatest earlier this March. However, he says he does not have the knowledge to interpret this scientifically. “This is one of the things the farmers consider when they decide that it is safer to be away from home this evening.”
The farm at Thorvaldeyri is about 5-6 kilometers away from the volcano in Fimmvörduháls. Eggertsson and his family saw the glow from the eruption last night.
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