Post on 23-Jan-2016
description
www.almannavarnir.is
RÍKISLÖGREGLUSTJÓRINNALMANNAVARNADEILD
RÍKISLÖGREGLUSTJÓRINNALMANNAVARNADEILDNATIONAL COMMISSIONER OF ICELANDIC POLICEDEPARTMENT OF CIVIL PROTECTION AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT
NATIONAL COMMISSIONER OF ICELANDIC POLICEDEPARTMENT OF CIVIL PROTECTION AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT
EyjafjallajökullIf you fail to plan - you plan to fail
Víðir Reynisson
www.almannavarnir.iswww.almannavarnir.is
For whom?Di sasters
Vict ims
Preparedness – Response -Recovery
www.almannavarnir.iswww.almannavarnir.is
Presentation
• Facts about Iceland• Civil protection structure• Preparing for an eruption• Challenges• Lessons identified
www.almannavarnir.iswww.almannavarnir.is
Iceland
• Land area: 103.000 square kilometers (UK: 241.590 sq. km, Scotland 78.772 sq. km)– Glaciers: 11.922 square kilometers– Coast line: 4.970 km (Scotland 3.218 km)
• Total population Dec. 1st 2008: 319.756 (UK 60.943.912 July 2008 est., Scotland 5.144.200 June 2007 est.)– Distance to neighboring countries: Greenland 287 km,
Faroe Islands 420 km, Scotland 798 km, Norway 970 km
www.almannavarnir.iswww.almannavarnir.is
The Civil Protection in Iceland
• A Civil Protection Act has been in force since 1962.• It was adopted during the cold war.• The purpose was to protect human life and property
from disaster, especially during military attack and a nuclear disaster;
• No military forces in Iceland • From 1967 natural hazard became the focus of Civil
Protection in Iceland• In 1974 volunteers, the Red Cross and SAR agreed to
play a specific role in Civil Protection• New legislation since 2008
www.almannavarnir.iswww.almannavarnir.is
Working within the crisis cycle
Demands great coordination and cooperation
www.almannavarnir.iswww.almannavarnir.is
Small nation - large country - many hazards
Iceland has one of the highest frequency in the world of natural hazards
• Strong motion earthquakes• Avalanches• Glacial outburst floods from sub-glacial volcanic
eruptions• Meteorological hazards – violent storms, river
flooding, coastal flooding• Transportation risk, buses, ferry's, aircrafts
www.almannavarnir.iswww.almannavarnir.is
Hekla
Gríms-vötn
Krafla
1980 Hekla1981 Krafla1981 Hekla1983 Grímsvötn1984 Krafla1991 Hekla1996 Grímsvötn1998 Grímsvötn2000 Hekla2004 Grímsvötn2010 Eyjafjallajökull2011 Grímsvötn
Eyjafjallajökull
Volcanic activity
www.almannavarnir.iswww.almannavarnir.is
Hazard and Risk in Iceland
Areas Impacted by Sea Ice Major Landslide Areas
Earthquake Hazard Zones
Major Snow Avalanche Areas
Active Volcanic Systems Jökulhlaup - Glacial River Surges
www.almannavarnir.iswww.almannavarnir.is
Scenarios
What you know
What you know that you do not know
What you do not know that
you know
What you do not know that you do not know
www.almannavarnir.iswww.almannavarnir.is
Civil Protection and Emergency ManagementCivil Protection and Emergency Management
Public Health
Rescue Teams /volunteers
Fire brigade
Police
Red Cross
Coast Guard
Civil Aviation
Paramedics
Parliament/M
inistries
Meteorological O
ffice
Local Governm
ent
DISASTERS
VICTI
MS
interoperability
www.almannavarnir.is
The Civil Protection StructureCivil Protection and Security Council Preparation of the
Civil Protection systemMinister of Interior
National Commissioner of Police Monitoring and analysis
Mitigation
Municipal authorities
Civil Protection Committees
First responders
National Crisis Co-ordination Center
Local Crisis Co-ordination CenterOperations and co-
ordination
Temporary Service Center Rebuilding
Civil Protection Investigation Committee Evaluation
www.almannavarnir.iswww.almannavarnir.is
Civil Protection and Emergency Management(CPEM)
Role: National coordination and command in emergency planning, preparedness and in emergency operations
Role: Regional coordination and command in emergency operations
Role: Regional coordination in emergency planning and preparedness
Role: On scene coordination and command in emergency operations
Role: Command and coordination on different tasks on scene
www.almannavarnir.iswww.almannavarnir.is
Hazard Assessment: Katla and Eyjafjallajökull (E-15)
• Eruption types• Eruption frequency• Glacial outburst floods
• Flood routes• Extent and advance of
floodwater• Flow volume
www.almannavarnir.iswww.almannavarnir.is
Patience
• From 1994 some signs of seismological activity…
• 1999 first plan implemented• 2009 high activity of seismological activity…• Early Mars 2010 increased activity• In the evening of the 20th …
www.almannavarnir.iswww.almannavarnir.is
Evening of the 13th of April
• Seismic and volcanic activity had stopped in the day before
• Scientist presumed that this part was over
• But… something was going on west of the eruption site
www.almannavarnir.iswww.almannavarnir.is
The night of the 14th
• Strong seismic motions under the summit crater of Eyjafjallajökull (E-15)
www.almannavarnir.iswww.almannavarnir.is
Evacuation
• Eraly in to the night is was decided to activate the evacuation plans in full.– Inhabitants and tourist – Closure of roads– Restriction on flights (10 miles)– Civil protection structure of Iceland activated to its
full
www.almannavarnir.iswww.almannavarnir.is
Command and coordination• Local chief of police in command in the area (Gold Command)• National coordination in Iceland's NCC
– Civil Protection department – Police– 112– ISAVIA– ICESAR– Coast Gourd– Health authorities– Road administration– Red Cross– Fire Brigade– Scientists– National broadcasting service
www.almannavarnir.iswww.almannavarnir.is
Crises communication
• To the public– Through phones
• Voice mail and SMS
– Through media• National broadcasting
service is a part of NCC• Website
(www.almannavarnir.is)• Other national media
– Press releases via e-mails
www.almannavarnir.iswww.almannavarnir.is
Crises communication
• Almost all ministries were involved from the beginning and all in the coming days
• High need for situation information– Our plans aim at minister of interior and the prime
minister– Pressure to keep all ministers involved
• Lack of coordination in information management to them
– Meetings in NCC helped
www.almannavarnir.iswww.almannavarnir.is
Crises communication
• Numerous agencies involved and both had vital information and needed information– Most of them in our plans– Different opinions on role and responsibility
• Pressure on agencies to for fill there role and having not planed for effects like this
www.almannavarnir.iswww.almannavarnir.is
Taken by surprise!
• In the early hours of the 15th the pressure increased a lot.
• The airspace in Europe was shutting down…
How to put out the fire???“you have to do something…”
www.almannavarnir.iswww.almannavarnir.is
Crises communication
• Set up of a information team -25 persons– Dealing with the media – Dealing with government and foreign embassies– Frequent Situation reports– Notes for ministers and Icelandic embassies abroad
www.almannavarnir.iswww.almannavarnir.is
Information seeking persons!
• E-mails from hundreds of persons seeking information about the situation in Iceland– Is it ok to travel there?– Is my people ok?– Are you going to leave the Island?
• New challenges- social media– Blog- twitter-Facebook
• “armchair specialist” in new spectrum• Spreading roomers and “ghost stories”
• We did not have plan for dealing with this!
www.almannavarnir.iswww.almannavarnir.is
Decision making challenges
• To take the decision to evacuate is easy– What about to let the people back in?
• Pressure from governmental level to prioritize!– Different level and source of information
• Political interference– Local political pressure
• Business pressure– Air flight operators– Tourist industry
www.almannavarnir.iswww.almannavarnir.is
Decision making challenges
• When you declare an emergency – When will you recall?– What dos that mean?
www.almannavarnir.iswww.almannavarnir.is
Still some danger
• Ash/mud floods in rivers– Danger for tourists in mountain area– Danger for roads– Danger for inhabitants?– Danger for grown land
• Ash “storms” with low visibility– Danger to health?– Damages to vegetation– Psychological effects
www.almannavarnir.iswww.almannavarnir.is
Some lessons indentified
• Lack of equipment to broadcast information to the public and tourists via telephones
• Lack of plan for “all” the international media will arrive in Iceland
• Lack of coordination with numerous of agencies and ministries– Part of that they had no plans!
www.almannavarnir.iswww.almannavarnir.is
Some lessons indentified
• When to lift evacuations orders– Open closed roads– Open access to restricted area
• When to recall emergencies phases– What happens?– Financial influence?
• Catastrophic insurance– Wider scope of insurance?
www.almannavarnir.iswww.almannavarnir.is
Even your best plan can fail
But if you fail to plan - you plan to fail
“ The day to start planning is not the day the eruption starts, it is to day”BBC Scotland investigate, interview with Vidir Reynisson
www.almannavarnir.iswww.almannavarnir.is
Pictures– Kjartan Blöndal– Rögnvaldur Ólafsson– Víðir Reynisson– Ágúst Gunnar Gylfason– Sigrún Hreinsdóttir– Freysteinn Sigmundsson– Páll Einarsson– Magnús Tumi Guðmundsson– Guðrún Sverrisdóttir– Ólafur Eggertsson– Icelandic Coast Guard– www.mbl.is