The eruption of Fimmvörðuháls and Eyjafjallajökull had a large impact on the lives of people who were living in the vicinity of Eyjafjallajökull. The area under the southern side of the Eyjafjöll mountains had to be evacuated three times, on March 20 due to the start of the eruption at Fimmvörðuháls and the uncertainty surrounding it, on April 14 at the start of the eruption at Eyjafjallajökull due to the risk of glacial outburst floods, and on April 16 due to heavy ash fall. The risk of landslides and ashfall also had a major impact on farmers, as glacial outburst floods and ashfall caused considerable damage to farmland and during the eruption there was always the possibility that conditions would get worse. Various measures were taken by farmers to protect their farms, and they adapted to the conditions that they faced. A great deal of help also came from various sources, such as from the Ice-Sar teams, the fire brigade and the police, people from the area and many volunteers from all over Iceland.

Figure 1: The spring work on the farm could not be postponed due to the eruption and it was necessary, among other things, to plough the fields. There was still a risk that more ash would settle over the area and could then suffocate all the vegetation.

Figure 2: In an attempt to prevent the ash from becoming too thick on farmland, an attempt was made to disperse the ash from the farmland.

Figure 3: The lambs are born in the spring no matter what is going on, the eruption plume from Fimmvörðuháls eruption can be seen in the back. This ship was unusually early with her lambs, but lambing usually starts at the end of April/May there.

Figure 4: Photograph taken just before the third evacuation, before the wind direction changed and the ash passed over Þorvaldseyri farm. Ólafur, farmer at Þorvaldseyri, with his dog Spori in front of the farm. It was not known at the time how long the evacuation would last, but in the end, it lasted from 16-20. April.

Figure 5: The cows had to be milked despite the evacuation, and when there was a break in the ash fall people were allowed back briefly to tend to the animals and then people from the Ice-Sar units also helped with the farm work. Here Páll Ólafsson is seen milking on Þorvaldseyri farm.

Figure 6: Livestock were given enough feed and water for several days as it was not clear when anyone could return to the farm.

Figure 7: Attempts were made to seal doors and windows to prevent the ash from entering houses, but due to the fineness of the ash it was able to get in almost anywhere.

Figure 8: Despite the eruption, the milk truck didn't stop coming.  After the third evacuation the daily life on the farms went more smoothly.

Figure 9: Members of the Ice-Sar units sweeping ash off roofs after the first big ashfall from phase 1. Volunteers and the Ice-Sar units, along with the fire brigade, came and helped the local people with the cleanup. It was important to remove the ash from the roofs before more was added so they would not collapse due to the weight.

Figure 10: A glacial outburst flood washed away parts of the hot water pipeline at Þorvaldseyri farm, but temporary repairs were soon made. Luckily, the power cable that is also there, was buried in the ground and did not get damaged.

Figure 11: After the ash fall during the third phase, houses in the area had to be cleaned again. Again, it was the volunteers, the rescue teams and the fire brigade who came and helped local people with the cleanup.

Figure 12. No fertilizer was put on Þorvaldseyri farmland that spring and the harvest was similar to normal years and the grass could be cut at a normal time as well. In the following years, the ash acted as a fertilizer and vegetation blossomed in the area, but on normal agricultural land the difference was less.