New emergency response plan for Katla volcano in Iceland to address tourism-related concerns

A new emergency response plan is in the works for the Katla volcano after the current plan has been in place since 2017. Grímur Hergeirsson, the chief of police for the South region, anticipates the review of this plan will conclude in the coming weeks. Once finalized, the updated plan will be introduced to residents in the area.

According to Grímur, the current response plan has been undergoing revisions for several months. He noted that an official from the Mýrdalshreppur municipality recently stated that the existing plan is outdated, particularly due to the increased number of tourists in the region since its inception.

Grímur emphasized that the current plan remains valid and effective, despite being from 2017, and aims for completion shortly. The police intend to hold a public meeting in the autumn to discuss the new plan with local residents.

Recently, an event related to glacial flooding in the Skálm river raised concerns; the short warning time about an imminent flood was deemed serious. Grímur commented that the situation would be analyzed to identify improvements. It was noted that weather services did not effectively alert the media about a potential significant flood heading toward a main road, leaving residents to rely on news outlets for information. The flooding took about 90 minutes to reach the road after the event began.