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
In the next decades the towns grew steadily with the exception of the depression years in the
1930s. No avalanche disasters with many fatalities occurred in urban areas.
During 1965−1980, the population increased in many fishing towns in Iceland. Many houses
were built and avalanche risk was not a top priority in the plans. During that period, many
settlements expanded towards the mountainsides. Since the towns were reaching into areas
where no houses or buildings had been before, avalanche records were often scarce. However,
many houses were built in areas were avalanches were still in the memories of people. In
some towns, like Patreksfjörður and Siglufjörður vacant areas existed where building of
houses was not allowed due to avalanche hazard. However, there was often a pressure to
allow buildings in such areas from individuals or local governments. The off- limit areas
gradually became smaller and it seems like in some cases that the outline of the most resent
large avalanche defined the boundary.
When two avalanches killed 12 people in Neskaupstaður in 1974, it took the inhabitants of the
town and the rest of the Icelandic people by a surprise. It seems like nobody had imagined this
could happen. Nevertheless, in 1936, avalanches had threatened houses in both of these
avalanche paths.
HAZARD MAPS
The first avalanche hazard maps were made shortly after the avalanche accidents in
Neskaupstaður by local governments No actions followed the hazard maps in terms of
relocating or protecting the settlement, however, the first organised snow observations started
at that time.
The first laws on avalanche protection were approved in 1985 after avalanche accidents in
Ólafsvík and after that, the first legislation based hazard maps was made. At that time, the
growth of the fishing towns had stopped and very few houses were built during the rest of the
century.
In 1995, two avalanche disasters in Súðavík and Flateyri, with a total of 34 fatalities, marked
a change in the attitude towards avalanche risk in Iceland. Most of the victims were in houses
that were outside of the hazard zones according to the hazard maps at that time. During the
next years, the methodology of hazard mapping was reviewed in Iceland, and new laws and
legislation were approved. Since then, hazard maps have been made for most of the towns
with the greatest avalanche risk. Where houses in urban areas are in hazard zone C (the
greatest risk), the local governments are obliged to make a plan for either protecting or
relocating the settlement. There are examples of both in Iceland, however, the trend now is to
build defence structures rather than to relocate houses.
In 1995−2005, the population in most of the towns outside of the Reykjavík area was
shrinking. Very few houses were built and, therefore, the new hazard maps did not have a
great effect on the spatial development of the towns. In the last few years, however,
construction of houses has started again, and the spatial development is directed outside of the
hazard zones.
Grímsdóttir 159