Breaking: State of Emergency Declared, Town Evacuated

November 13, 2023

A state of emergency has been declared as the residents of a small town in Iceland are being asked to evacuate as soon as possible as a precaution. Recently, thousands of earthquakes have hit Iceland, indicating the possibility of an eruption in the Reykjanes volcanic system.

Home to about 3,000 people and a popular tourist destination according to travel website KAYAK, this coastal town is now on alert with officials warning that there is no “immediate danger” but rather magma could take days before reaching the surface.

Despite there being no immediate danger noted by officials, those living in close proximity are being urged to relocate until it is safe enough for reentry into the area.

????#BREAKING: Iceland Declares State of Emergency Due to Volcanic Eruption Threat Following 1400 Earthquakes in 24 Hours

????#Grindavik | #Iceland
⁰Icelandic authorities have declared a state of emergency following a series of powerful earthquakes that shook the country's… pic.twitter.com/3BStzg8e62

— R A W S A L E R T S (@rawsalerts) November 11, 2023

Understandably, locals are concerned as seismic activity has increased over 22,000 times since October 25th with quakes ranging from 4.8-5.0 on the Richter scale reported by The Washington Post (behind a paywall).

What’s more alarming is that these quakes have been moving closer to inhabited areas and The Iceland Meteorological Agency (IMO) told Fox Weather that this “intrusion” could result in an effusive eruption or short-lived explosions depending on ground-water levels in the vicinity – prompting authorities to issue an Orange Alert – Level 3 warning.

⚡️⚡️⚡️❗️#BREAKING ❗️Scientists have said that the largest volcanic eruption in #Europe in the modern era may occur before tomorrow evening.

????❗️During several thousand small #earthquakes in #Iceland, the #Fagradalsfjall volcano woke up. There is also an opinion that he will… pic.twitter.com/3rXEyd0LL0

— WTF-NeW (@WTFNeW8) November 12, 2023

Authorities are taking all necessary precautions should an eruption occur including fortifying infrastructure near affected areas and closing down local hot spot Blue Lagoon for at least one week as reported by Bloomberg. IMO also warned citizens last November 4th via Fox Weather saying that signs of magma coming towards the surface would appear as increased seismicity and rapid crustal deformation – something they cannot currently detect but could change rapidly given current circumstances.

It’s feared that this coming eruption could be larger than what we saw previously too as experts believe there is significantly more magma involved this time round and earthquakes appear to be moving closer towards town each day.

Thor Thordarson – professor in volcanology at University Of Iceland even went so far as telling Bloomberg that “it is not a question of if but when it erupts” emphasizing how serious this situation has become for locals living in Grindavík.