ICELAND

Grindavik, the ghost town under the volcano

The city of Grindavik has finally been reopened. After a period of emergency due to various volcanic eruptions and earthquakes today only a few dozen inhabitants have a home and live in this small Icelandic town, and the activities still open are few. Most citizens have sold their homes to the government because of the risk of living in the area.  The town stands on a lava field near the crater chain Sundhnúkur, and the volcanoes of Svartsengisfell on nearby Stora Skogsfell. After the seismic and volcanic activities of last year and this year and the state of emergency declared by the government, the city was evacuated several times and declared inaccessible. Today it is almost completely uninhabited. The government published a bill that provides for the offer to buy residential properties of residents for almost the entire price of their value through a special insurance, and many of them have benefited. “This was my home” Páll me indicates, 62 years, Grindavik resident and owner until a few months ago of a house in the city overlooking a lake. “I sold my home to the government for almost its full value. Now I will buy a new one elsewhere with the money earned from the sale”. Grindavik is also a major fishing center in Iceland, thanks to its warmer waters. I arrive at the port with Páll, where a ship has just arrived and unloads the fish caught during the last fishing trip: “During the emergency, we had to divert the ships in other ports, we could not land in Grindavik anymore” tells me Viktor, local fisherman. “The sector has been badly affected by the crisis, many have had to move their activities during the emergency”. The government, before the full opening of the city, granted special permits to residents to return to settle their own things and affairs. Some activities try to survive.  “We have now been open for almost two months” says Gylfi, one of the two owners along with Thor. “Our restaurant is a gathering point for people who live and frequent Grindavik, and many come from their new homes outside the city to eat with us, helping us in our business.” Gylfi continues. With the abandonment of almost all inhabitants, Grindavik seems suspended in limbo, waiting for a fate yet to be defined. New eruptions are expected in the short term and for this reason the area, despite being reopened, is not considered safe. The future of the city is uncertain, and the lives of its inhabitants are uncertain. People are afraid to live in Grindavik, and almost everyone is starting a new life in other towns and villages, even if they are not far away.

The text and the photos have been published by Il Venerdì di Repubblica.