Grindavík mother recounts evacuation and childhood abuse

Karitas Nína Viðarsdóttir, a Grindavík native, has published a diary-based book about her family’s evacuation and the childhood sexual abuse she endured, mbl.is reports.

Neyðarástand: Dagbók móður úr Grindavík, or Emergency: A Mother’s Diary from Grindavík, draws on diaries she has kept since her teens. Storytel approached her about turning the diaries into a book. She says writing helps her record events and work through trauma.

Viðarsdóttir and her husband have two teenage children. The family left Grindavík on November 10, 2023, after a series of earthquakes. She says the old trauma resurfaced as they faced having to leave their home and town.

During the earthquakes that morning, she feared the house would collapse. “We thought we would die if we didn’t leave immediately,” she told mbl.is. The family took a few belongings and drove away as neighbours packed children, pets and bedding into their cars.

She described the drive out of town as frightening, saying the car bounced on the road and she feared an eruption, or that the road might break apart and send them into the sea. She expected the family would return after the seismic activity eased, but seeing reports of split streets and badly damaged homes was another shock.