Avalanche is one type of natural catastrophe and it is a movement of a mineral mass down a mountain side or a slope due to gravity. Avalanche are categorised as either a snow flood or a landslide (Icelandic Institute of Natural History, Avalanche). Each category has a few subcategories but the Icelandic Meteorological Office categorises avalanche
into eleven categorises, by type, water volume and concentration (The Icelandic Meteorological Office, 2006, November 2nd). The floods that are not categorised as snow floods are categorised as mudslides, falling rocks and rockslides (The Icelandic Meteorological Office, 2006, October 30th). A mudslide is defined as a landslide that is a mixture of water, rocks, and other minerals, falling rocks is the falling of single stones from a mountainside, but a rockslide is the falling of a whole chunk of rocks from a mountainside (The Icelandic Meteorological Office, 2006, November 2nd).
It has been documented that 208 people died because of avalanche in the 20th century (Icelandic Institute of Natural History, Avalanche). An assessment of avalanche risk across the country was made after the avalanche took place in Neskaupsstaður in 1974.
That work did not lead to any change in preparation regarding avalanche, neither when it came to the making of a threat analysis nor construction plans in danger areas (Tómas Jóhannesson and Þorsteinn Arnalds, 2001, 481). The attitude of Icelandic people to avalanche did however change dramatically after the fatal snow avalanches in Flateyri and Súðavík in 1995 (Tómas Jóhannesson and Þorsteinn Arnalds, 2001, 474). Resultantly the Icelandic Avalanche and Landslide Disaster Fund was amplified, but among its functions is to fund a great portion of the cost of defence structures and rebuy buildings located in danger areas. The Icelandic Meteorological Office was also cast the role of assessing the snow avalanche hazard in Iceland. New regulations about threat analysis because of avalanche were passed in 2000 and three types of danger areas, A, B and C, were defined, but the regulations are built on yearly estimates of morality rates of individuals that reside in those areas. Certain regulations were passed that regard usage and strengthening of the buildings that are located in those danger areas and a requirement made that new construction will only be organised outside those areas. The severest regulations regard section C, but in those areas, it is not allowed to build new structures where constant presence of people is anticipated (Tómas Jóhannesson and Þorsteinn Arnalds, 2001, 480-483).
The Icelandic Institute of Natural History. Avalanche.. Retrieved by: https://www.ni.is/jord/natturuva/ofanflod.
The Icelandic Meteorological Office. (2006, November 2nd). Categorising avalanche. Retrieved from: https://www.vedur.is/ofanflod/frodleikur/greinar/nr/384.
The Icelandic Meteorological Office. (2006, October 30th). Main concepts regarding recording of avalanche . Retrieved by: https://www.vedur.is/ofanflod/frodleikur/greinar/nr/378.
Tómas Jóhannesson and Þorsteinn Arnalds. (2001).Accidents and damage because of snow avalanche and landslides. Local council issues, 61 (6). Retrieved from: https://www.vedur.is/gogn/snjoflod/haettumat/sveitarstjornarmal-2001.pdf.