On January 14, 2020, three large avalanches fell in quick succession in the Westfjords of Iceland. One avalanche fell in Súgandafjörður, directly across from Suðureyri, causing a tidal wave to strike the town that, ultimately, did little damage. The other two fell in Flateyri, causing more significant destruction. The timing of the avalanches was noteworthy. […]
In January 1995, an avalanche hit the small town of Súðavík in the Westfjords. The town was decimated, and out of the 227 inhabitants, 14 people died. Some were rescued, including a teenage boy who spent 23 hours buried under the snow.
In October that same year, another avalanche hit Flateyri, a town of 350 people about a half an hour’s drive away. This time, 20 people were lost. The two avalanches were not only a blow to those affected, but to the nation as a whole. In the decades since, energy and funds have been spent building up anti-avalanche earthworks to prevent such disasters from happening again.
Buildings in two Westfjords towns have been evacuated due to avalanche risk, the Icelandic Met Office reports. Severe weather in the region and heavy snowfall
According to a new government proposal, improvements to avalanche barriers will be made in ten different places in Iceland over the next ten years, RÚV
Three avalanches fell near the village of Flateyri in the Westfjords on Friday, RÚV reports. Luckily, all three took place away from residential areas. The
Three avalanches fell on the road between Ísafjörður and Súðavík in the Westfjords yesterday. The avalanches occurred after the road had been closed by police
A 23-year-old man who landed in an avalanche yesterday on Esja mountain in the Reykjavík capital area has died, Fréttablaðið reports. The man was named
All available rescue teams in the Greater Reykjavík Area, along with other response parties, have been dispatched to Móskarðshnjúkar on the Esja mountain range following
Alma Sóley Ericsdóttir Wolf, a fourteen-year-old resident of Flateyri in the Westfjords, became trapped in her home after a massive avalanche fell on the town
The chairmen of the three coalition parties, Katrín Jakobsdóttir, Bjarni Benediktsson, and Sigurður Ingi Jóhannsson, will travel by helicopter to Flateyri this afternoon, RÚV reports.
