Reviewed the Met Office's long-term risk assessment at a council meeting.

New long-term risk assessment for the Reykjanes Peninsula

Jón Viðar Matthíasson, director of the Civil Protection Committee for the Capital Region, reviewed new reports from the Icelandic Meteorological Institute at a meeting with the town council and candidates for the local elections, held at Hafnarborg today. The reports present a scenario in which the southwestern part of Hafnarfjörður is at a significant to high risk of lava flow, according to the Met Office's long-term risk assessment.

It is noted that there are no signs of this scenario in the near future. The findings in the reports support what was already known and do not revolutionise the understanding of where the threat from lava flows lies to settlements and infrastructure in the capital region.

According to the Met Office's assessment, the water wells in Kaldárbotnar are at the highest alert level with regard to the lava flow on the Reykjanes Peninsula. The Icelandic Met Office prepared the long-term assessment for the municipalities in the capital region and its civil defence committee.

Mayor Valdimar Víðisson says that reports from the Met Office show which areas and infrastructure are vulnerable to lava flows, so that countermeasures can be prepared.

„We have been awaiting these results for some time and welcome now having received the reports. While awaiting the reports, the local authorities have also used the time to prepare by conducting exercises for each council's governance structure, with the aim of strengthening preparedness and planning possible responses. The next step is to use them to enhance the safety of residents, and we are ready to do so.“

Valdimar says the water supply in Kaldárbotnar is not in immediate danger, but the scenario provides an opportunity to prepare measures should it materialise at some point.

„Work has already begun with the civil defence committee and local utility companies to explore what solutions are available to increase the operational resilience of the utilities and protect essential infrastructure, including by preparing countermeasures, backup solutions and strengthening pipelines. “The experience from Grindavík and Svartsengi shows that viable countermeasures are available," he says.

Valdimar says the two reports are examples of groundbreaking work carried out by the Icelandic Meteorological Office for the benefit of safety and society as a whole. „For that, we must be grateful. It is now our responsibility, in cooperation with the civil contingencies service, the Met Office and others involved, to use this knowledge responsibly and resolutely for the benefit of society. In this way, we ensure that information becomes the foundation for increased security, not fear.“

• See the new page, www.eldfjallava.is
• See the report Lava hazard on the Reykjanes Peninsula – Long-term risk assessment
• See the report Lava threat in the capital region – Long-term risk assessment
• See the Met Office summary here.