Grindavík demolitions could finish by mid next year

Demolition work in Grindavík could be completed by the middle of next year, mbl.is reports, although some work may pause during the winter, according to the town’s property and utilities manager.

“Twenty-six addresses have been demolished. Three are being demolished now, and seven are in preparation,” Sigurður Karlsson told mbl.is.

Sigurður said he expected the work to finish next spring or summer. The town must reach an agreement with every property owner, he said, and legal disputes between some owners and Iceland Natural Catastrophe Insurance are delaying several demolitions.

Work has also continued on filling cracks in the town. Mayor Pétur Georg Markan said about 70 percent of the cracks had been filled and that another 20 percent would be addressed in the coming months.

He said geological surveys had provided a much clearer picture of the town’s ground layers and the location of its cracks. No new cracks had been found, but officials now had a better understanding of cracks that had existed for thousands of years, he said. The town was therefore not only better protected against the cracks but also safer because of the increased knowledge.