Residents of an Icelandic town home to 4,000 people have been allowed by the authorities to gather their personal belongings ahead of an expected volcano eruption in the coming hours or days. "We are a little bit desperate ... and sad," says one resident of Grindavik of 22 years whose wife had been given permission to retrieve some belongings. "If you start to think about all the time and energy you have put in building up your home, it's just sad. You have this total feeling of uncertainty." IMAGES AND SOUNDBITES