Fires have been sweeping through Greece for the last eight days with many fronts around the country.
At least two people have died, and 10 per cent of the country’s forests have been burned, and the international community is sending supplies.
On Monday night, Greece’s Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said that “we may have done what was humanly possible, but sometimes that wasn’t enough in the uneven battle with nature”.
τι τα θέμε τα πυροσβεστικά αεροπλάνα; RESPECT παπού ❤ #Φωτιες #Ευβοια #Fire #Greece #Evia pic.twitter.com/D0t0eT0NaX
— Rodia (@Rodia300) August 10, 2021
Focusing on Arcadia
At Gortinia, the Arcadia region in the Peloponnese, a fire burning out of control has led to the evacuation of 12 communities there via the 112 European Emergency Number.
Firefighting efforts are being hindered by high winds in the area.
Earlier on Tuesday a fire was rekindled at the areas of Kapelitsi and Livadaki, while there were also two current active fire pockets near the communities of Dafni and Touloubitsi.
In the broader areas of the municipality of Ancient Olympia and of Gortinia some 313 firefighters and 101 fire engines are still battling to bring fires under control, assisted by 15 ground teams. Some 35 firefighters and 14 vehicles from the Czech Republic and 21 firefighters from the UK are also helping.
Deputy Regional Director of Ilia Vassilis Giannopoulos told the Athens-Macedonian News Agency (ANA-MPA) that a fire zone had been placed at the administrative borders of Ilia and Arkadia so the fire from the latter, in Gortinia, does not move into the former. The fire zone was set up with firetrucks and heavy machinery, to protect the areas of Sekoula, Dafnoula and Alifira,. Smaller fires are being brought under control in Lala, Lasdika, Douka and Milies, he added.
Μόνος του. Με τις παντόφλες. Με ένα κλαδί στο χέρι. Πήδηξε και τα σύρματα και έσβησε μέσα σε δευτερόλεπτα ό,τι καιγόταν από τη #φωτια 🔥
Κύριε Απόστολε θερμά συγχαρητήρια👏#Πυρκαγια #Ιστιαια #greecefire #φωτια_ευβοια #κυβερνηση_Μητσοτακη #Ευβοια #greeceisburning #opentv pic.twitter.com/yY7YIS9MF6
— Lefteris Xrisofakis (@LXrisofakis1) August 8, 2021
Meanwhile, the health centers of Tropea and Dimitsana, as well as the General Panarcadian Hospital of Tripoli and the city’s emergency ambulance service EKAV station have been placed on alert following an order by Greece’s Health Minister Vassilis Kikilias.
Help from Russia
A number of countries have sent aircraft and aid to Greece, with two Russian II-76 aircraft landing at Athens International Airport Eleftherios Venizelos. These planes were met by representatives of the Russian Embassy in the Greek capital, as well as the national firefighting service and the General Secretariat for Civil Protection.
Two Mi-8 helicopters will also be delivered to Greece as well as an An-124 aircraft after Athens sent a request to Moscow on Monday, asking for assistance in response to raging wildfires across the country.
Ένας Έλληνας και ενας Κύπριος , πυροσβέστης μάχονται δίπλα δίπλα στις #πυρκαγιες 🔥.
Ο Θεός να βοηθήσει και να σβήσουν όσο πιο γρήγορα τα πύρινα μέτωπα. 🙏🙏#Πυρκαγια #ηλεια #Greece #greecefire #greeceisburning #Ευβοια #opentv #ΛιμνηΕυβοιας #φωτια_ευβοια #φωτια pic.twitter.com/CLUgw5L6Eu
— Lefteris Xrisofakis (@LXrisofakis1) August 7, 2021
Restoring the danage
On the weekend, Mr Mitsotakis said he would make restoration of the burned territories his top priority, while Greek Finance Minister Christos Staikouras presented a package of relief measures for those affected by the recent wildfires ravaging Greece for the last eight days.
Following a cabinet meeting on Tuesday, he said the ministry will table a supplementary budget of 500 million euros. The government will offer:
1. For houses: Up to 20,000 euros for completely destroyed homes; 12,000 for partly destroyed houses; and 5,000 euros for houses with serious damage.
2. Other buildings and company property: an advance payment of 14,000 for buildings completely destroyed, 8,000 euros for buildings with serious damage and 3,000 euros for buildings with damage.
3. Disbursement process: The Independent Authority for Public Revenue will launch a platform for accepting applications for damage compensation. At the same time, the Infrastructure minitry will begin recording damages.
4. Subsidies for companies: The government will immediately offer financial support to all enterprises hit by the fires: up to 8,000 for facilities completely destroyed, 4,000 for facilities suffering heavy damages and 2,000 for other damages. Farmers will also receive 4,000 euros for damaged cultivation areas of more than 50 stremma (one stremma = 1,000 sq.m.), 2,000 euros for farms between 10-50 stremma and 1,000 euros for smaller farms. All insured livestock will be compensated by the Agricultural Insurance Agency.
5. Additional interventions: Enterprises hit by the fires will be offered an exemption to repaying state loans given during the pandemic and to paying a special property tax for the years 2021, 2022, 2023, while the state will offer a rent subsidy of up to 500 euros per month. All individuals and corporations hit by the fire will be offered a six-month suspension of payment of social insurance contributions, while banks will offer a suspension of loan payments. Foreclosures will also be suspended. The ministry will offer 20 million euros for restoring infrastucture damaged by the fires.
6. Additional interventions in Evia island including suspension of payments on tax, social insurance, loan obligations and other measures offering job support.
7. Medium-term measures to support civil protection and restoring natural resources, by exploiting funds from the EU’s Recovery Fund.
