Seyðisfjörður Residents May Not Be Able To Return Home Today

RÚV reports that Seyðisfjörður residents may not be able to return home today to care for their houses. The East Iceland chief of police, Kristján Ólafur Guðnason, has stated that this is due to the weather conditions today in the area. The risk of further landslides is still high, especially considering the fact that there was another small landslide last night.

High levels of rainfall over the past week contributed to causing the landslides which affected Seyðisfjörður yesterday. Accumulated levels of precipitation exceeded 350 mm, which led to the landslides that occurred on Tuesday night and forced 120 people to leave their homes. A state of emergency was declared, though fortunately there were no injuries. However, it was reported that some flooding did affect properties.

Yesterday, residents who had been evacuated were allowed to return home to retrieve essential belongings from their houses. They were escorted by the police, as well as aid workers. Today, however, as rain continues to fall, the chief of police warns that residents will likely be unable to return to their houses today. It is also unclear whether or not cleaning operations will be possible to continue in Seyðisfjörður today.

Residents of Grjótá, Lambeyrará, and Eskifjörður have also been informed of the risk, and the Civil Defence is continuing to monitor any developments in the surrounding areas.

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