Jökull - 01.01.2021, Qupperneq 86

Gísladóttir et al.
relatives’ accounts of the 1918 eruption: “Jökulhlaup
[as the most serious] but lightning can be very seri-
ous. Lightning is greatly feared in this region... Even
though tephra was quite small the lightning was so
severe that it looked like the middle of the day even
though it was night in October [during the 1918 erup-
tion]” (Bird et al., 2011, p. 1215).
Álftaver residents participated in the 2006 evacu-
ation exercise and most complied with evacuation in-
structions, even though they were not happy. Poor vis-
ibility and bad weather often obscure the view to Katla
and, owing to past generations’ experience of flood
pathways down Mýrdalssandur and poor visibility due
to tephra fall, residents believed they would be endan-
gered by travelling towards or across the flood, as the
men in the upland pastures had done in 1918. Thus,
most residents of Álftaver stated that they were re-
luctant to comply with the evacuation plan, and none
said that they would follow it if the weather was bad
or visibility poor.
“We had mixed feelings about the exercise because
we were supposed to evacuate against the flood. This
is a very dangerous area. These feelings have been
imbedded in us since 1918. This region to the east of
here was badly affected in 1918. It went under very
quickly.” (Bird et al., 2011, page 8, Appendix E).
“I’m not so afraid that we are in real danger, but
it may become completely dark [due to tephra fall]
and this would be a huge mental strain to deal with.
I know of farmers who were out in the complete dark
[due to tephra fall] and they had to use the fence to
find their way [back to the house during the 1918
Katla eruption]. This would be very difficult to deal
with.” (Bird et al., 2011, p. 1215).
“If I could not see anything, I would not follow the
procedure. And it also depends on how much time we
have.” Bird et al., 2011, p. 10, Appendix F).
Instead, Álftaver residents called for a Plan B to
enable them to shelter locally rather than driving to
Kirkjubæjarklaustur. Based on the farmers experi-
ences in 1918, Álftaver residents thought it would be
more sensible to shelter at Herjólfsstaðir or Mýrar
settlements (Figure 4), as both stand at elevations–
ridge or headland–that were not flooded by the jökul-
hlaups in 1918. An old schoolhouse and two farms
are in Herjólfsstaðir, with sufficient space for Álfta-
ver residents, they thought, and the fellowship of lo-
cals would be a source of strength.
“I thought it was so silly that we should go against
the flood. I told them [the police] that I would go
to Herjólfsstaðir or Mýrar, that I would never go to
Kirkjubæjarklaustur.” (Bird et al., 2011, p. 8–9, App.
E).
“I would follow my forefathers and go to higher
ground.” (Bird et al., 2011, p. 10, App. F).
Bird and Gísladóttir (2012) revealed that follow-
ing their experience of complete darkness due to
tephra fall during the 2010 Eyjafjallajökull eruption,
Álftaver residents were still very concerned about
the requirement for them to evacuate to Kirkjubæjar-
klaustur during a Katla eruption. They were there-
fore still in favour of adopting a ’Plan B’ for shelter-
ing at Herjólfsstaðir or Mýrar. In 2010, however, a
Plan B had still not been officially outlined (Bird and
Gísladóttir 2012), despite discussions between resi-
dents and the police in 2008.
“The police chief is working with us for a Plan B,
especially if the weather is bad. It is not official yet,
but he is in favour. We will go to Mýrar or Herjólfs-
staðir.” (Bird et al. 2011, p. 1217).
Since then, a Plan B has been developed which
designates the farmhouses in Mýrar and Herjólfsstaðir
as places to shelter. This plan is outlined in a public
document by The Chief of Police in South Iceland,
the Civil Protection Committee of Rangárvellir- and
V-Skaftafellssýsla and the National Commissioner of
Police (2017), available on the DCPEM-NCIP web-
site. However, recent discussions with the current and
past heads of the local rescue team in Álftaver suggest
that Álftaver residents are not aware that Plan B is of-
ficial and have not seen either of the 2013 or 2017
reports where Plan B is outlined (personal commu-
nication, Páll Eggertsson, 6 August 2020 and Örvar
Egill Kolbeinsson, 8 August 2020).
DISCUSSION
Advocating for the development of plans through
participatory approaches
The oral stories of the 1918 Katla eruption provide
a vivid account of the event, and an insight of what
84 JÖKULL No. 71, 2021