International Symposium on Mitigative Measures against Snow ...

<strong>International</strong> <strong>Symposium</strong> on Mitigative Measures against Snow Avalanches
Egilsstaðir, Iceland, March 11–14, 2008
Monitoring avalanche danger for Icelandic villages
Leifur Örn Svavarsson
Icelandic Meteorological Office, Bústaðavegi 9, IS-150 Reykjavík, ICELAND
e-mail: leifur (at) vedur.is
ABSTRACT
The Icelandic Meteorological Office (IMO) is responsible for avalanche monitoring and
evacuation of people from areas endangered by impending snow avalanches in Iceland. The
office has made evacuation plans and accompanying maps in collaboration with local
authorities in villages that are endangered by avalanches. Evacuations are made based on
predefined zones that are intended to be evacuated under prescribed weather conditions. The
evacuation plans are based on the hazard zoning of the area and take into account protective
measures, such as dams or supporting structures, that have been constructed. Local snow
observers in the endangered areas make snowpack observations, monitor snow depth in the
mountainsides above settlements and participate together with employees of the IMO in
Reykjavík in assessing the avalanche danger and order evacuations when necessary.
1. INTRODUCTION
Following two catastrophic snow avalanches in Iceland in 1995, which killed a total of 34
persons, laws and work procedures regarding avalanche monitoring and avalanche
preparedness in Iceland were changed. The new law made the Icelandic Metrological Office
(IMO) responsible for deciding, in consultation with local authorities, when to evacuate a
village at risk to an impending avalanche (Magnússon, 1998). In each village, the head of
police can decide independently whether to evacuate other areas or to evacuate an area larger
than IMO has stipulated.
The evacuation powers of IMO currently apply only to snow avalanche danger in populated
areas with existing hazard assessments. Evacuations due to debris flows and landslides are the
responsibility of the local head of police. The same policy applies to avalanche threats in rural
areas, where hazard zoning has not been made and evacuation maps do not exist.
2. EMPLOYEES
At the IMO, avalanche forecasting is undertaken for 16 towns and villages threatened by
avalanches. There are five avalanche forecasters working at the IMO, and they take part in
shift work throughout the winter. Four forecasters are based at the main office in Reykjavík,
and one forecaster is located in Ísafjörður in the northwestern part of the country. All of them
do other avalanche-related work alongside forecasting tasks. Around the country there are 19
snow observers working in 13 towns and one rural area. Five of the snow observers work fulltime
during the winter, but the remaining 14 are part-time employees.
3. TRAINING
Avalanche forecasters at the IMO do avalanche-related work as their main remit, taking shifts
as an avalanche forecaster every fifth week. In addition to education and specialisation in
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