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Land and Forest Iceland

Skemman in Víðidalur in the mountains fell in a storm

15th November 2024

The sole remaining structure at the abandoned Víðidalur farm in the Fjöll region of Northeast Iceland succumbed to the recent storm on Wednesday. This corrugated iron-clad wooden building served as a temporary shelter for sheep during the autumn sheep-gathering season. Moving forward, a roofless enclosure will be utilised at the location instead. The debris from the collapsed structure has been largely cleared away, ensuring that any remaining building materials are secured against further dispersal.

Shed blown over in Víðidalur-1

On Wednesday, the Múlaþing community received a notification from a passerby in Víðidalur that the shed had begun to blow away. They promptly notified the Government Property Agency, which in turn contacted Land and Forest Iceland. They responded by dispatching their employees in Mývatnssveit and Ásbyrgi, namely the machine operators Þorlákur Páll Jónsson and Jóhannes Guðmundsson. They were accompanied by Bárður Jón Gunnarsson, a contractor in Mývatnssveit. Upon their arrival, only one gable of the shed remained standing. Þorlákur reported that it required minimal effort with the tractor to bring down the gable into the shed's foundation, where it was secured for later removal.

Additional materials from the shelter were gathered and removed from the vicinity, particularly corrugated iron sheets that were at risk of being blown away. The work was successfully completed today, Friday. Þorlákur mentioned that the shelter had served its purpose effectively for almost a quarter of a century, especially during the autumn when sheep were gathered in the area. The sheep were housed and kept in the shed during the rounding up process. He explained that the structure on the west side of the shelter had already begun to deteriorate, and plans were in place to conduct necessary repairs in the near future to reinforce it. However, given the current circumstances, those considerations are no longer relevant. The shelter has fallen apart and will not be reconstructed. Instead, a small enclosure will be utilised for the temporary containment of gathered sheep.

The attached photographs were taken by Þorlákur Páll Jónsson during the cleanup efforts in Víðidalur valley. They clearly illustrate the extent of the damage, with the remains of the shelter scattered away from the foundation, except for some remnants of broken wood beams still present at the site.

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Shed blown over in Víðidalur-6