![]() “I can’t even think of it if Grindavík becomes a ghost town – that will break my heart.The Ayuwoki wears a black shirt, seemingly modeled after Michael Jackson's Walk of Fame jacket. ![]() But think it’ll be one or two years before we can. “I try not to think too much of the future – if I think too much, it’ll bring me down. “The kids are really positive, they’ve still got that smile.” However, he acknowledged the psychological impact the natural disaster had had on some, adding that he had been offered professional support through his employer. “If we give up on the school, then it’ll be even more difficult to come back – we’d have to build up from scratch,” he said. Páll, who lived with his 27-year-old son in Grindavík, is living out of a suitcase with his girlfriend in Reykjavík. But after being evacuated, he has been teaching in a school in the capital that has given his oldest year – the 16-year-olds in year 10 – three rooms in which to complete their education together. Páll Erlingsson, 58, has taught in Grindavík’s school for 25 years and was hoping to finish his career there. View image in fullscreen Páll Erlingsson in Fagradalsfjall with his son in 2021. ![]() Nobody can tell you after you lived through the evacuation and saw lava flowing into the town. “Some of us want to go back straight away, others can’t imagine ever going back they’ve cleared their houses. If there’s bad weather and I can’t pick up the kids, I don’t have to worry, some other parent will say: ‘I can pick them up for you.’ Everyone is always ready to help. That saying: ‘It takes a village to raise a child,’ – Grindavík is that village. They are just heroes.”įor Eva Lind, who moved to Grindavík eight years ago, there is no place like it. “ those kids can do anything because of how they handled the situation. The family of eight are renting a home in Reykjavík, after spending two months in a two-bedroom flat owned by a relative. We want teachers and kindergartens so we can have families come back.” “As soon as the town is declared safe, we want to help rebuild our community. “People will always ask: when will this happen again? People will be afraid of it happening again. She said that while she would feel confident returning if the authorities ruled it safe, she understood that others may not feel the same. View image in fullscreen Eva Lind Matthiasdottir is desperate to return to Grindavík as soon as it is declared safe to do so. Eva Lind said the uncertainty of the situation meant many in her community were going back and forth in their minds about whether they would regain their old lives. Grindavík residents have not been given a return date, and it is unclear when, if ever, the town will be safe to inhabit. This week, 130 employees of a fishing company based in the town were removed from the company’s payroll and will receive state aid. While she can work remotely, Eva Lind’s husband is a steelworker employing six people working on local boats. But she was clear-eyed about the importance of business, especially the fishing industry, remaining in the town for such a return to be viable. Eva Lind Matthiasdottir, 39, an IT professional with five children aged between 11 and 21, and a two-year-old grandchild, is desperate to return as soon as it is declared safe. Some residents also held such quiet, conditional optimism close as they heard the news on Thursday. ![]() Iceland’s president, Guðni Jóhannesson, said his thoughts were with the people of Grindavík as lava again burst through the ground on Thursday. View image in fullscreen A police officer stands by a crack in a road in Grindavík which was evacuated in November due to volcanic activity. “I’ve built my small bakery with a big heart for 29 years and all that seems gone. You don’t mess with nature.”įor Sigurdur, this could mean the end of the home he has known for half his life, with his family business at its centre. “I’m not sure if Grindavík will ever be safe. “Lots of people have it worse than us – but we want to know where our lives are going,” Sigurdur said.Īfter this week’s eruption, Sigurdur feared this may be the final straw for many people from the town, particularly those with children. The government has offered the town’s residents financial help for accommodation costs after its evacuation on 10 November, as well as economic support to affected workers. Like many other residents, Sigurdur is living in a rented flat with his family, in a town near Reykjavík. Last month, the prime minister, Katrín Jakobsdóttir, said the government was considering taking over the properties and offering compensation. Those people whose houses were completely ruined are lucky, because they got paid,” he said. The question is if the government will pay us out. “I own my bakery and my house and have no debts – then suddenly something happens and you’re up in the air. View image in fullscreen Sigurdur Enoksson with his family in their bakery.
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