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Volcano erupts in Iceland, hundreds evacuated

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gofreak

GAF's Bob Woodward
0003337310dr.jpg


Iceland ejecting the blood of its fiscal wounds onto the rest of Europe! ;)

edit - also, the closure of irish airspace has been extended to 11am tomorrow at the earliest (from 6am previously). Many airlines have already ruled out flights up to 1pm at the earliest.

The UK NATS is due to update its advisory covering up to 1pm tomorrow in about 10 mins.
 

okno

Member
Meadows said:
The volcano is in a very remote part of Iceland and is heading away from the country. They are arguably the least affected country in Northern/Western Europe by this eruption.

I know where the volcano is, I've camped not too far from it. I understand that, as of now, there is no concern for anything other than the impact of the movement of the ash cloud over northern Europe, but I'm talking about the more serious implication of the likely eruption of Katla. Even though the volcano is 170km east of Reykjavik, to say that the country as a whole is safe is silly. If Katla explodes, the damage will be far reaching and the east side of the country would be really, really fucked. There are some very important fishing ports on the south-east end of the country, so who knows what will happen when Katla explodes. Even Reykjavik would be affected by the eruption.
 

gofreak

GAF's Bob Woodward
Ireland's National Emergency Response Committee has said that it is 'unlikely' aircraft will be able to move in Irish airspace for 2 to 3 days :|
 
Hundreds of volcanos erupt all over the world every day. You shouldn't make threads about them. Nobody cares.

am i doing it right?
 

gofreak

GAF's Bob Woodward
Cosmo Clock 21 said:
Europe experiences a sudden boom in nautical travel?

Yeah, apparently the ferries are doing a roaring trade at the moment. All booked up 'cept for some car spaces.
 

navanman

Crown Prince of Custom Firmware
gofreak said:
Ireland's National Emergency Response Committee has said that it is 'unlikely' aircraft will be able to move in Irish airspace for 2 to 3 days :|

FUCK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I'm meant to be flying out on Saturday to the Canaries.

RAGE...RAGE...

Edit:
I can believe I'm saying this BUT PLEASE START RAINING IN IRELAND.
 

jepense

Member
gofreak said:
Ireland's National Emergency Response Committee has said that it is 'unlikely' aircraft will be able to move in Irish airspace for 2 to 3 days :|
And once the traffic shuts down completely, it'll take a while to restart operations again.
Europe experiences a sudden boom in nautical travel?
Also rail if the situation lasts.
 

jepense

Member
gofreak said:
They could just be exaggerating. We'll see.
Well really, nobody has a clue on how long it'll last. But they probably give some reasonable estimate so that people note their flights may be cancelled.
 

NotWii

Banned
okno said:
I swear, people in this thread are more concerned about this eruption than anyone in Iceland. The news is keeping up with new developments, but they're just little blurbs and the people all just talk about how cool it is. There's not a drop of fear in the air, it's kind of funny.
But people love
doom-art-original.jpg


IDDQD
 
Well, was supposed to take the 17:35 flight from Amsterdam to New York. While we were waiting, we saw 99% of the flights get cancelled, but flights to the US were still a go. We checked in, waited at the gates, we boarded, we sat down, I even buckled up already, when the captain had bad news. We would be the last flight that would depart but they decided to close Schiphol an hour earlier then planned or something like that. Now I'm at home without my luggage. Fuuuuck ;_; And the trip was sponsored, so a few people in my studygroup decided to spend the night on Schiphol and call like fucking madmen and try to transfer 24 people to a different lfight and pray the ash clouds will disperse pretty soon. Situation looks bleak though. We would fly back next wednesday, but it now looks like we'll be flying to New York on sunday and only spent like 3 days there or something :s

I feel for the people who've been planning this trip for weeks. Fucking volcanos :mad:
 

gofreak

GAF's Bob Woodward
NATS UK update: flights grounded til 1pm tomorrow at the earliest. Will update at 2:30am about the situation up to 6pm tomorrow. Limited flights between Northern Ireland and Scotland may be allowed however. They don't seem optimistic about general improvement by the next update.

Statement on Icelandic volcanic eruption: Thurs April 15, 20:20

The cloud of volcanic ash continues to cover much of the UK. Following a review of the latest Met Office information, NATS advises that restrictions will remain in place in UK controlled airspace until 1300 (UK time) tomorrow, Friday 16 April, at the earliest.

However, flights from Northern Ireland and the Western Isles of Scotland to and from Glasgow, Edinburgh and Prestwick may be allowed in the period from 0100 (UK time) to 1300 (UK time) tomorrow subject to individual co-ordination. North Atlantic traffic to and from Edinburgh, Glasgow, Prestwick and Belfast may also be allowed in the period.

We will review further Met Office information and at 0230 (UK time) tomorrow we will advise the arrangements that will be in place through to 1800 (UK time) tomorrow. However be aware that the situation cannot be said to be improving with any certainty as the forecast affected area appears to be closing in from east to west. We continue to work closely with airports, airlines, and the rest of Europe to understand and mitigate the implications of the volcanic eruption.

http://www.nats.co.uk/
 

mrklaw

MrArseFace
how does this airspace closure affect incoming flights?

eg they've just announced the airspace is now closed until at least 1pm UK time tomorrow. Thats fine for departures, but presumably no inbound flights can even take off until after that, as they can't be certain that the airspace will actually be open.
 

jepense

Member
mrklaw said:
how does this airspace closure affect incoming flights?

eg they've just announced the airspace is now closed until at least 1pm UK time tomorrow. Thats fine for departures, but presumably no inbound flights can even take off until after that, as they can't be certain that the airspace will actually be open.
All flights in will be cancelled as well. Closed airspace means no planes are allowed to fly in, out or over. And it wouldn't make sense to start a flight and then have to return if the risk is so obvious.
 

mrklaw

MrArseFace
no, I understand that, but it'll impact incoming flights more, because they can't even take off until the airspace is known to be cleared, plus the flight time. They won't be able to time their arrival to be just after 1pm, in case its extended.


gofreak said:
Wonder if your family's insurance will cover hotel etc. expenses while they wait?
They're ok, they're with her parents. But the kids need to be back at school next week. Oh well :)



Are we sure its a volcano, and not Iceland burning its IOUs?
 

navanman

Crown Prince of Custom Firmware
mrklaw said:
how does this airspace closure affect incoming flights?

eg they've just announced the airspace is now closed until at least 1pm UK time tomorrow. Thats fine for departures, but presumably no inbound flights can even take off until after that, as they can't be certain that the airspace will actually be open.

Most trans-atlantic flights are also cancelled as they flight path used would be over UK, Iceland.

For non-UK posters, Heathrow airport is the busiest short-haul airport in the world and one of the main hubs for worldwide travel to Asia & US out of Europe. The effect on air-travel has been huge.
 

jepense

Member
mrklaw said:
no, I understand that, but it'll impact incoming flights more, because they can't even take off until the airspace is known to be cleared, plus the flight time. They won't be able to time their arrival to be just after 1pm, in case its extended.
Yeah, incoming flights can't really restart until the situation is clear.
 

Geeker

Member
the real shit (ash) will hit the fan if katla erupts. Apparently it is overdue and has erupted right after the current volcano the last three times.

I feel bed for iceland if that happens, there is an 800 meter deep glacier over the crater.
 

gofreak

GAF's Bob Woodward
Icelandic volcano eruption intensifies

REYKJAVIK (Reuters) – A volcanic eruption in Iceland, which has thrown up a 6-km (3.7 mile) high plume of ash and disrupted air traffic across northern Europe, has grown more intense, an expert said on Thursday.

The eruption under the Eyjafjallajokull glacier continued to spew large amounts of ash and smoke into the air and showed no signs of abating after 40 hours of activity, said Pall Einarsson, a geophysicist at the University of Iceland.

"The seismographs are showing that since this morning the intensity of the eruption seems to be growing," he said.

Hot fumes had melted up to a third of the glacial ice covering the crater, causing a nearby river to burst its banks, and frequent explosions on the floor of the crater sounded like bombs going off, he said.

The floods were abating, however, and some of those living in the sparsely populated area near the volcano had returned to their homes.

What's the body that's responsible for monitoring this in Iceland? Are they providing updates?
 

pringles

Member
okno said:
I swear, people in this thread are more concerned about this eruption than anyone in Iceland. The news is keeping up with new developments, but they're just little blurbs and the people all just talk about how cool it is. There's not a drop of fear in the air, it's kind of funny.
In Iceland, volcano fears you.
 

gofreak

GAF's Bob Woodward
Looking at the wind forecasts there may be a reprieve for the UK and Ireland in the latter part of Friday into Saturday. But then late Sat the wind changes again, and this happens by Sunday:

10041812_1512.gif


That's the current forecasts anyway.

I wonder if the change in wind in the meantime will let air traffic recommence tomorrow or Sat or if dust lingers longer than that. If the volcano keeps spewing though, and those wind forecasts are right, UK/Ireland could be screwed after Sat for a while.
 
Holy shit, my in-laws left back home to England on Monday just in time. Dunno what I would have had to do if they were stuck here with me and the wife for another week or so. :lol

On a serious note, this is really intense. So from what I understand, the big volcano hasn't popped its top yet?
 

gofreak

GAF's Bob Woodward
Breaking - another large flood in Iceland, evacuation ordered

http://www.icenews.is/index.php/2010/04/15/breaking-news-another-large-flood-evacuation-ordered/

Flood waters are striking the Fljotshlid area near the Eyjafjallajokull glacier. This flood is said to be much bigger and faster than yesterday’s and people in that area of South Iceland are being told to evacuate immediately.

The flood water contains large chunks of ice and roads and bridges south of the glacier are in serious danger of destruction.
 

Kurtofan

Member
Holy shit I didn't think that was that bad.
Icelanders are decidedly unlucky.
Edit: apparently all of Europe will have a shitty summer if the eruption lasts a long time...
Fucking great...
 

cloudwalking

300chf ain't shit to me
well this is just dandy for me, i'm on a business trip in cork, ireland and may possibly be stranded here now if shit doesn't improve fast.

the worst part is that i'm scheduled to fly out of cork tomorrow at 5PM and into amsterdam, then from amsterdam at 8:45PM into zürich. a direct flight would have been a crapshoot but now i have the possibility of also getting stranded in the netherlands. FUN

i'm keeping my fingers crossed that the ash will get the fuck out of my way enough to get me to zürich tomorrow, but i'm not getting my hopes up. i can complain, but really, though, i'm not in such a bad position as a lot of other people. my company already agreed to pay hotel and food for any extra days i may be stranded here.
 

gofreak

GAF's Bob Woodward
Belgian airspace closure has been extended to 6pm tomorrow at least.

http://news.ph.msn.com/business/article.aspx?cp-documentid=4031555

This doesn't imply anything about what the UK or Ireland will do with its advisory updates later, but it might affect your plans either way cloudwalking (the netherlands being pretty near Belgium).

edit - reports about ash deposits in the UK possibly pushing south:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/8623950.stm

FWIW there's people in Donegal and Galway (NW Ireland) reporting a small film of dust on their cars. Don't know if they're just seeing things though!
 

gofreak

GAF's Bob Woodward
cloudwalking go go go go

http://www.rte.ie/news/2010/0415/travel.html

The Irish Aviation Authority has announced that it is lifting restrictions on flights to and from airports at Cork and Shannon and some of the regional airports.

However, as the latest reports from the Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre in London indicate that the ash cloud is still over the east coast, the restrictions will remain in force at Dublin airport until, at least, 11am tomorrow.

edit - oh wait, your flights at 5 tomorrow...well, hopefully things remain clear til then!
 

Ether_Snake

安安安安安安安安安安安安安安安
Anyone has any idea how long this might last?

I am supposed to leave for Europe in two weeks. I don't want to cancel my plans:(
 

gofreak

GAF's Bob Woodward
UK update - not good news i'm afraid.

The cloud of volcanic ash continues to cover much of the UK and the eruption in Iceland continues. Following a review of the latest Met Office information, NATS advises that restrictions will remain in place in UK controlled airspace until 1900 (UK time) today, Friday 16 April, at the earliest.

However, flights in Northern Ireland and the Western Isles of Scotland to and from Glasgow and Prestwick may be allowed up to 1300 (UK time) today, subject to individual co-ordination. North Atlantic traffic to and from Glasgow, Prestwick and Belfast may also be allowed over the same period. We will review further Met Office information and at 0830 (UK time) we will advise the arrangements that will be in place until 0100 (UK time) on Saturday, 17 April.

In general, the situation cannot be said to be improving with any certainty as the forecast affected area appears to be closing in from east to west. We continue to work closely with airports, airlines, and the rest of Europe to understand and mitigate the implications of the volcanic eruption.
 
My flight got cAnceled too. Nice way to end a trip from amsterdam.
If i've listened to the people from shiphol, i would be stuckfor two days at amsterdam all alone with no money or place to sleep...

Now, I am in a shitty night bus to Paris and I still don't know how to go to my hometown because there is a fucking strike and there is no train too ...

Damn volcano.
 

pestul

Member
Why do I get the sinking feeling that even my flight to London in June is going to get fucked by this.. I mean, this is the Earth. The eruption can last as long as it f'ing wants. She doesn't work on our timetable. :/
 

cloudwalking

300chf ain't shit to me
it's 7 AM here and both of my flights have still not been cancelled even though on schiphol's website it says that they won't be doing any flights "in the coming hours"... wtf does that mean :(

doesn't look good... but we'll see
 

hylje

Member
e18_23024127.jpg


This image made available by NEODASS/University of Dundee shows the volcanic ash plume from Iceland, top left, to the north of Britain at received by NASA's Terra Satellite at 11.39 GMT Thursday April 15, 2010. (AP Photo/NEODAAS/University of Dundee)

source

Rains gonna drop down the ashes over the some areas covered today/this weekend. If anyone is worried about it, just put white plate in the rain, if its dark/black - then it's ash.
Finnish airtraffic is closed till saturday 3pm.
Eurocontrol organisation is estimating that air traffic might be down atleast 2 days from now.
 
cloudwalking said:
it's 7 AM here and both of my flights have still not been cancelled even though on schiphol's website it says that they won't be doing any flights "in the coming hours"... wtf does that mean :(

doesn't look good... but we'll see

There is currently a meeting going on that started at 8 am where they are discussing when to open the airport and if the airport is going to open at all today. The news is saying that more information will be coming out at around 9 am. Everything depends on if there's still ash coming out of the volcano and the way the wind is blowing.

And rain doesnt matter much if the ash rises above the rain clouds.
 

navanman

Crown Prince of Custom Firmware
cloudwalking said:
it's 7 AM here and both of my flights have still not been cancelled even though on schiphol's website it says that they won't be doing any flights "in the coming hours"... wtf does that mean :(

doesn't look good... but we'll see

Even though the Irish airports on western sea-board have re-opened, flights aren't going to start running till 1pm at the earliest according to Ryanair & Aer Lingus, Aer Arann.

UK air-space will be closed until 7pm this evening at the earliest so if your flight plan is over this airspace, you will be stuck in Cork until tomorrow.
 

Mojojo

Member
hylje said:
http://inapcache.boston.com/universal/site_graphics/blogs/bigpicture/eyja_04_15/e18_23024127.jpg[/IM]

[I]This image made available by NEODASS/University of Dundee shows the volcanic ash plume from Iceland, top left, to the north of Britain at received by NASA's Terra Satellite at 11.39 GMT Thursday April 15, 2010. (AP Photo/NEODAAS/University of Dundee)[/I]

.[/QUOTE]

Weird, seeing this picture made me think of the old skid mark OT topic.. Too much gaf reading I guess.
 

cloudwalking

300chf ain't shit to me
navanman said:
Even though the Irish airports on western sea-board have re-opened, flights aren't going to start running till 1pm at the earliest according to Ryanair & Aer Lingus, Aer Arann.

UK air-space will be closed until 7pm this evening at the earliest so if your flight plan is over this airspace, you will be stuck in Cork until tomorrow.

i'm doing cork > amsterdam > zürich. cork is open... for now. amsterdam is the problem it seems. zürich never closed yet. so perhaps i can reroute my flight from cork somehow, but i don't know. it's such a small airport. and i don't want to just leave and then and up and have to get stuck in amsterdam.
 

hylje

Member
Suitcase Test said:
2500 passengers stranded on Schiphol apparently... Can't imagine what Heathrow is like right now. Christ. :S

They closed it yesterday and no flights are going until 16th april 7pm.

"Heathrow Airport now emptied of 260,000 passengers, replaced by 300,000 journalists reporting on how empty it is."
 
hylje said:
They closed it yesterday and no flights are going until 16th april 7pm.

"Heathrow Airport now emptied of 260,000 passengers, replaced by 300,000 journalists reporting on how empty it is."
Ah ok so the passengers are gone there? I heard that those 2500 were the ones that actually had to sleep at Schiphol because they couldn't go anywhere else. Must be one crappy night for those people... I guess Burger King couldn't be happier though.
 
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