Front Burner - Living on the volcanic edge in Iceland

Episode Date: November 30, 2023

A spike in seismic activity and the imminent threat of a volcanic eruption in Iceland has displaced the town of Grindavik, located near the country’s famous Blue Lagoon and a massive geothermal power plant. We hear from Hanna Evenson who’s been going into the danger zone to rescue residents’ pets and Ragga Agustsdottir, the co-founder of Lava Show Iceland, about the challenges and benefits of living in a hotbed of volcanic activity. For transcripts of Front Burner, please visit: https://www.cbc.ca/radio/frontburner/transcripts Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.

In the Dragon's Den, a simple pitch can lead to a life-changing connection. Watch new episodes of Dragon's Den free on CBC Gem. Brought to you in part by National Angel Capital Organization, empowering Canada's entrepreneurs through angel investment and industry connections. This is a CBC Podcast. Hi, I'm Damon Fairless. Hi, I'm Damon Fairless. For the past few weeks, the Icelandic town of Grindavik has been rocked by constant earthquakes,

hundreds of them, and there's been a real threat of an imminent volcanic eruption. So the roads were completely broken apart. There was a crevasse like in the middle of the road that nobody could see how far down it was. It was just like looking into a void, you know, the smoke coming out from the bursted water pipes. It looked like you were looking into hell. It was crazy. And you just imagined all the lava like 500 meters below you, like waiting to burst through. So it was quite... That's Hanna Evansen. She's the manager of Cat Holt, that's a rescue center in Reykjavik.

She and a small team have been going into Grindavik to rescue cats and other animals after its 4,000 or of earthquakes that had been happening. So they were given orders to evacuate the town at one o'clock in the night. So people had to kind of go without taking anything with them. Weeks later, it's still too dangerous for the residents of Grindavik to return to their homes

for more than an hour or so. Today, we head to Iceland to hear what it's like for people there to live on top of the island's many active volcanoes, the challenges and the benefits, and how it shaped their culture and identity. Later, I'll be joined by Rage Augustdottir. She goes by the handle Lady Lava. She's the

co-founder of an educational lava show in Reykjavik. But first, more from Hanna Evensen and her animal rescue mission. Hi, Hanna. How are you? Hi, I'm good. How are you? Good. So now you're based in Reykjavik how are you? Hi, I'm good. How are you? Good. Now, you're based in Reykjavik, are you? Yeah, I'm in Hapnirfjallur. It's a suburban area outside of Reykjavik.

So tell me what brought you down to Grindavik. Okay, so I'm a manager in the cat shelter in Iceland. And we had been getting calls from people that could not go back to the town to collect their animals. People were either abroad or they were just not mentally ready to go into this danger zone to grab and get what they love the most like their animals. So we in Kattol, the shelter, and some other animal welfare organizations in Iceland, we came together

and created a rescue group of 12 people. And we got keys from owners to their houses and we got the addresses and how many animals and what kind of animals

there were so at Monday we had made a list of 58 or 9 cats we had chicken on the list, we had turkeys we had fish, frogs

birds, parrots uh horses sheep bunnies like you just every animal i have to ask hana so i mean you make it sound like you know it's a very pragmatic thing to do but you you, you, you, you and these other volunteers were, you're putting yourself at risk to go rescue these animals. I mean, that that's, that's really tremendous. What, what made you do that? Yeah. Well, if you, obviously if you put it like this, it sounds heroic, but at the time, like, um, I just felt so bad for the people that couldn't go themselves to get their animals so I was kind of representing them and if I didn't have anyone except this volunteer from the cat shelter to go and bring my cats I would put all my trust in that person and I could feel that a lot of people were like

depending on us so that kind of just made it you, our goal just to go and rescue these animals. It wasn't until afterwards that the shock of the dangerous thing that we had all been through, like, hit us. Wow. So tell me, what's going through your mind when you're in this danger zone? Like, what are you worried about in the moment? I think that when we had put these three cats in my car, and then we got a message on the phone that the town was being evacuated ASAP, then it occurred to me that the eruption could have started so I like I ran and I don't know um it's it's very strange to talk about being traumatic in a town where you don't even live um I can't even put myself in in the shoes of the people that live there.

And it was devastating to see inside of people's houses that were abroad and couldn't do anything. Everything had fallen off the walls. Walls were broken in half and everything was a mess. Water pipes bursting. And, you know, so I know that a lot of people don't have the courage to move back, even though that the police and government are saying that it might be okay soon, fairly soon. But I don't think a lot of people are going back there. I think I had the sense that the people living in Gundavik were maybe stoic about it. They knew they're living in a place with volcanic activity, but it really sounds like they've been traumatized.

Yeah, of course. They have been. Very deeply, I would say. They're just kind of taking it day by day. And people that have visited the shelter, they are just crying. shelter they are just crying you know they're just crying of uh they're they're they're grateful that their cats are safe and they don't have to worry about that on top of everything else so um that's beautiful that's you know we can at least do that for them um if only that keep their cats safe at least at the shelter so So I just, I don't know.

I don't know if they're ever going to be okay. But they just, yeah, they just wake up and they're like, okay, what is today going to bring? You know, they don't have any plan. You know, Christmas is coming. Some of them are losing the houses they've had borrowed since it happened. And the government is obviously trying to find a more permanent solution for everyone. or losing the houses they've had borrowed since it happened. And the government is obviously trying to find a more permanent solution for everyone.

With scientists monitoring the volcano, the priority of Prime Minister Katrin Jakobsdottir is the 4,000 displaced people. We have put forward a bill to the parliament to ensure the salaries for the inhabitants of Brindavik, at least for the next three months. We are working on two secure housing because 1,200 homes, people do not have guaranteed housing. So we are working on that. But it's like they're on a waiting list and, you know, nobody knows anything. I think it's very, very hard for a lot of them.

In the Dragon's Den, a simple pitch can lead to a life-changing connection. Watch new episodes of Dragon's Den free on CBC Gem. Brought to you in part by National Angel Capital Organization, empowering Canada's entrepreneurs through angel investment and industry connections. Hi, it's Ramit Sethi here. You may have seen my money show on Netflix. I've been talking about money for 20 years.

I've talked to millions of people and I have some startling numbers to share with you. Did you know that of the people I speak to, 50% of them do not know their own household income? That's not a typo, 50%. That's because money is confusing. In my new book and podcast, Money for Couples, I help you and your partner create a financial vision together. To listen to this podcast, just search for Money for Cups. Raga Augustater is the co-founder of Lava Show Iceland, and she's an expert in all things volcanic. She's been following the situation closely and helping people make

sense of what's happening through regular updates on TikTok. So Raga, we're talking on Wednesday, and as of right now, at least Grindavik doesn't seem to be facing the worst possible scenario, but it's still under threat of volcanic eruption. I guess what I'm curious about first and foremost is what are people most afraid of in terms of what this means for them, the kind of damage that volcanic activity like this can do? and the kind of damage that volcanic activity like this can do? Well, I would imagine that the people of Glintavik are most afraid that they will not be able to return to their homes. You know, I think the uncertainty must be the most difficult part, not knowing if or when you will be able to return, essentially. I'm also curious about the surrounding area.

I guess there's a couple of things. There's the Blue Lagoon, which is world famous as a geothermal kind of hot public bath spot. And then there's also a geothermal power plant nearby too. So how are folks who run those operations coping? I mean, these are big organizations. They have a lot of employees. And like right now, the Blue Lagoon is just closed.

And it must be tough both for like the leadership and the owners, just from a financial point of view. I'm not knowing how things are gonna go and also for the staff. I mean, I don't know how much work you can do from afar. When it comes to the power plant though, sure there's been some minor damage and there's been some damage to the town of Grindavik. and we've been sometimes to the town of Grindavik. Listen to the roar of Mother Earth. That's the sound of magma, molten rock, bubbling away beneath the town of Grindavik,

causing hundreds of earthquakes a day. I'm not sure about the town, it looks awful. My house is okay, but it's on the red area. The earth has collapsed about one meter or something. So the lava, you know, is under our house. We don't know if we're going to have a home or what. That is actually being worked on and fixed as we speak. But I think it's pretty incredible and cool to watch how the power plant has managed to keep its operations mostly running without a hit,

essentially, despite everything that's been going on. I've read that they might be building protective walls to potentially protect it from lava flows. Is that right? Yeah, that's right. So there is. So basically, there's these two places where there is the potential for an eruption taking place right now. One is along the Magma Intrusion, that is sort of a 15 kilometer long dike, as it's called, that stretches like a little bit out under the ocean south of Krittavik and then like some 15 kilometers inland and the likeliest place for an eruption is actually in the middle section of that like and then there's also been deformation ground deformation and uplift just a little bit farther west just south of the power plant and the Blue Lagoon, actually. What is being worked on right now is to try and create these barriers, these safety barriers,

so that, you know, in case of an eruption, they will be able to hopefully prevent lava from flowing over the power plant. And the power plant is the main concern because providing electricity and hot and cold water for entire region, not just the town of Grindavik, but actually like a very big region of about 30,000, 40,000 people. So it's, I mean, you need the geothermal heat, obviously, to run that kind of plant, but not too much, I guess. Otherwise, you get a problem.

Yeah. Yeah. And actually, that's one thing that I find quite interesting because we get a lot of questions about, like, why on earth do you live on a volcano island? Why would you live in Iceland, you know, where there's volcanoes basically all around you? there's volcanoes basically all around you and I actually find it quite endearing that you know we actually would not be able to live in Iceland if it weren't for volcanoes they provide us with the necessary resources so that it's actually livable in Iceland volcanoes are the reasons why we have like hot water they are the reasons why we have abundance of very cheap electricity and you know basically that the living standards in Iceland are the way that they

are and I mean we have basically like swimming pools and hot tubs in every little town in Iceland doesn't matter how small it is it's a big part of small it is. It's a big part of the culture, right? Yeah, it's a big part of our culture. And if it's like 200 people, small town, it still has like its own little swimming pool. And it's a big part of like where people gather in the morning, you know, talk about politics and just, you know, swim a few rounds and then relax in the hot tub. I'd like to understand a little more about what makes, so it sounds like, you know, Iceland culture and civilization is dependent on these volcanoes. So tell me what makes Iceland such a volcanic hotbed. Tell me about the geophysics of it, I guess.

Yeah, I mean, there's two main reasons why Iceland is so volcanically active. One is that Iceland is situated right on top of a very, very powerful mantle plume. It's also sometimes referred to as hot spots. And it's actually the reason, for instance, why Hawaii is such a volcanic-like place, because Hawaii is sitting right on top of a mantle plume, right? So that basically means, I mean, the earth is sort of split into four main layers.

It's like the crust, the outer crust, the surface where we walk around, and it's the core in the middle, and then the area in between is the mental, and it's split into like the inner mental and the outer mental, and you know the closer to the core the hotter, right? And everything there in between is basically just molten rock, super super hot molten rock. And the magma, the mantle plumes are continuously pushing the magma towards the surface. And, you know, where you have these instances, there's a higher likelihood of volcanic eruptions.

In addition to that, Iceland also happens to sit on top of the mid-Atlantic ritz, which is essentially the split by two tectonic plates. And they are continuously moving apart two and a half centimeters every single year. And so during that process, there are cracks that form in the crust that makes it easier for the magma to actually reach the surface. So these sort of two forces are the reason why Iceland is essentially the, like, has the highest concentration of volcanoes in the world. So for those of us who don't live in a volcanically active area, this seems really scary.

Like, you know, plumes of magma and lava shooting about the earth is intense. So, but, you know, Icelandic folks are, I guess, used to it. Civilization is built on top of it, as you say. So what's this level of activity been like for you to live through? Yeah, I mean, like you say,

we are very, very used to this. Most of the inhabited areas in Iceland are around the coastline and, you know, most of the volcanoes are inland, not all of them, but most of them. So, you know, us having a volcanic eruption happening usually is if anything, it's just a little bit exciting having said that this situation now is a little bit different because it's so close to where people actually live and it's so close to really important infrastructure and that hasn't happened in a long long time it's been

actually 50 years since there's been any real threat to people and infrastructure from a volcanic eruption in Iceland so you know that is why this maybe feels a little bit more threatening more serious than what we've seen for instance in the last few years where we have this what we sometimes joke around and call like tourist eruptions you know they, they're so small. They're really situated in places where there's no threat to anything or anyone. And you can actually take a hike up there and just witness this spectacle of nature, right? So, you know, we sometimes joke around with it that, you know, Icelanders are a little bit weird in a sense that, you know, when a volcano erupts, normally people

would like run away from it. But Icelanders are like, woohoo, there's an eruption. The situation now is a little bit different. So tourism is a huge part of the industry there. You've got a business that is dependent on tourists, obviously. I'm curious what you're hearing in terms concern that, you know, this may have negative effect unnecessarily on the interest to travel to Iceland because people are afraid naturally.

And that's understandable. And I feel like that's why it's our responsibility, all of our responsibility who work in the field and basically everyone in Iceland and everyone that we talk to like you guys you know about sort of communicating what is actually right and what is actually true and to sort of calm these concerns and basically tell people that you know we understand why you may be afraid but you don don't have to. It's unnecessary at this point. And it's just a very small area in Iceland that is affected. It happens to have the town of Grindavik and the Blue Lagoon included. But apart from that, everything else is just operating

completely as normal. You mentioned the infrastructure, the geothermal power plant is close by, the Blue Lagoon is close by. You mentioned how volcanic activity essentially is part of the foundation of being able to survive there. But I'm also interested in how it shaped Icelandic culture, right? I mean, so I've been there. It's a beautiful, it's very, very harsh. And it's also otherworldly. This activity, this really powerful geothermal activity, it shaped the culture. Can you help me kind of understand the connection there? Yeah, absolutely. Yeah, we actually sometimes joke around, you know, because we talk about otherworldly. We actually say, like, planet Iceland. Yeah, it really does feel like it's that i mean iceland is as you say it's shaped by volcanoes the island itself would not exist if it were not for

volcanoes because ultimately it just sort of sprang out of the ocean in an eruption and then just grew and grew and grew over millions of years, right? So all of Iceland is at some point lava that has flowed. And so given that and given that we live on this highly active volcanic island that has all these subsequent geothermal resources means that, you know, it's an unpredictable island to live on. And what's more, as you know, since you've been to Iceland, the weather can also be quite unpredictable. You know, it can be great weather, like one minute, and then like an hour later, it's really not that great anymore. And so that has throughout the ages really, really impacted the way that we have had to adjust in Iceland. And we actually, like we have a saying in Icelandic that is

it basically means it'll all be okay and we sometimes refer to it as our kind of hakuna matata um that we have because precisely because of the unpredictability of the nature and of the environment you know let's say that you lived like in the 1500s and you were a farmer. I mean, you have to be able to react to unforeseen circumstances, like maybe all of a sudden, even in like the month of September, there was going to be a storm. And then like next month, there was a volcanic eruption not far away. And you have to adjust to those circumstances. there was a volcanic eruption not far away and you have to adjust to those circumstances so i think that it has in many ways created a sort of flexibility but also like resilience i think you know we've managed to survive these harsh natural environments so like like thus far so i think it sort of tells you you know despite the threat despite knowing what can happen you know we just believe in you know living with volcanoes and

you know having this healthy respect for mother nature and just know, working with her to try and cohabit, if you will. Raga, thank you so much. It's been great talking to you. Yeah, thank you so much. All right, that's all for today. I'm Damon Fairless. Thanks for listening to FrontBurner, and I'll talk to you tomorrow. For more CBC Podcasts, go to cbc.ca slash podcasts.