Learning from Past Experiences: The 1995 Avalanches in Iceland

Ásthildur Elva Bernhardsdóttir (2001)

The report consists of two case studies concerning the crisis management of the avalanches that hit the villages of Sudavik and Flateyri (both located in the West Fjords in Iceland). These avalanches fell in the span of just nine months in 1995 and had devastating consequences in terms of casualties, property damage and material losses. Bernhardsdóttir compares these two disasters in retrospect and investigates what Icelanders learned from the first incident in Sudavik and whether that experience helped them to deal with the second disaster in Flateyri.