The storm which forced the closing down of all major traffic arteries out of Reykjavík today has passed over Reykjavík and the southwest corner of Iceland, allowing life to return to normal. Almost. Because city employees are still busy clearing drains of ice to allow the copious amounts of rain and meltwater to drain.
Read more: International flights delayed due to storm: Passengers in 9 planes stranded on tarmac
The Metropolitan Fire Department has also bee busy helping homeowners and businesses deal with flash floods and flooded cellears. The local newspaper Morgunblaðið reports that the Fire Department responded to some three dozen calls from homeowners, businesses and schools which had been flooded. The news site Vísir also reports that ICE-SAR responded to another two dozen emergencies involving flooding.
A local man shot this video of one of the lakes that popped up around town. He told the local newspaper Morgunblaðið that the lake had claimed at least two cars which became stuck in the water.
— Hreiðar Ingi Eðvarðs (@Hreidar_I) February 21, 2018
Low lying areas were submerged by the rain and melting snow, creating dangerous rivers and lakes where commuters and travellers were expecting to find streets or parking lots. The Metropolitan Police has asked drivers to respect street closures: Drivers who have ignored city employees or signs indicating streets are closed due to flooding have learned an expensive lesson in respecting road closures, as numerous cars have been towed after their engines took on water attempting to cross these urban lakes.
The following videos show what the morning commute was like for some people:
The storm which forced the closing down of all major traffic arteries out of Reykjavík today has passed over Reykjavík and the southwest corner of Iceland, allowing life to return to normal. Almost. Because city employees are still busy clearing drains of ice to allow the copious amounts of rain and meltwater to drain.
Read more: International flights delayed due to storm: Passengers in 9 planes stranded on tarmac
The Metropolitan Fire Department has also bee busy helping homeowners and businesses deal with flash floods and flooded cellears. The local newspaper Morgunblaðið reports that the Fire Department responded to some three dozen calls from homeowners, businesses and schools which had been flooded. The news site Vísir also reports that ICE-SAR responded to another two dozen emergencies involving flooding.
A local man shot this video of one of the lakes that popped up around town. He told the local newspaper Morgunblaðið that the lake had claimed at least two cars which became stuck in the water.
— Hreiðar Ingi Eðvarðs (@Hreidar_I) February 21, 2018
Low lying areas were submerged by the rain and melting snow, creating dangerous rivers and lakes where commuters and travellers were expecting to find streets or parking lots. The Metropolitan Police has asked drivers to respect street closures: Drivers who have ignored city employees or signs indicating streets are closed due to flooding have learned an expensive lesson in respecting road closures, as numerous cars have been towed after their engines took on water attempting to cross these urban lakes.
The following videos show what the morning commute was like for some people:
