The volcanic eruption in Eyjafjallajokull in the spring of 2010 posed many new challenges for the Icelandic government. The effects of the eruption were not only domestic but also had fairly widespread consequences internationally. Also, the effects were not only confined to public safety issues, but had economic implications as well. Various questions were raised in the aftermath of the event about how government agencies should respond to such and similar occurrences in the future to minimize their harmful effects on public security. The Icelandic Law of Civil protection states that it is the responsibility of the Civil Protection System to set in place action plans for security threats, be they from natural disasters or other events. The Law, on the other hand, does not contain a definition of "security" in this context and the Icelandic state does not, so far, have a clearly defined security precept. This paper seeks to find out where in the securitization spectrum the Icelandic authorities have placed information sharing, i.e. information flow, public relations and media relations, during and after natural disasters and similar events. Questions that are raised are for example whether there are action plans already in place within the Civil Protection System, or whether information sharing in circumstances of natural disasters is only handled on an ad hoc basis.
