Farmers in Jökuldalur, East Iceland, are concerned about the fate of their sheep after a blizzard kept raging in the region yesterday. Benedikt Arnórsson, farmer at Hofteigur, spent until 4 am last night picking up his sheep in Vopnafjörður. The road has been impassable since Saturday.
Archive photo: Eygló Svala Arnarsdóttir/Iceland Review.
Benedikt told ruv.is this morning that he had struggled driving with chains on the wheels of his truck in slippery conditions. He stated that it’s unusual for winter to arrive this early. “A blizzard raged throughout most of yesterday. There was a storm in the lowland.”
Benedikt and other farmers in the region worry that they will find dead sheep once the weather has calmed. “We haven’t had the opportunity yet to check on the sheep that were supposed to be near the farms.”
He explained that the mountain had turned completely white and snow had fallen in the lowland around the farms too. “One worries that the sheep stumbled into rivers and brooks, that is my biggest fear.”
Benedikt stated that farmers in the area had headed out into the snowstorm this morning to start searching for sheep close to the farms. “We’re not too optimistic,” he said.
Related:
September 18 | French Tourists in Sandstorm: “We Thought We Would Die”
September 17 | Farmers Fear for Sheep in East Iceland Blizzard
September 17 | Storm Still Raging, Blackout and Lost Tourist
September 17 | Rental Cars Damaged after Storm in Iceland
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