In the last 48 hours, about 6,000 of 15,000 residents in Santorini have abandoned the island by Fear of an earthquake Of great magnitude, although there has been no evacuation order by the Greek authorities.
The image of the picturesque alleys enchanted from the island “Pearl of the Aegean”, completely deserts is going around the world. This is an unpublished scene for an island that receives 5.5 million tourists every year. The access roads are still collapsed, And last night, dozens of islanders slept in their cars in a kilometer row waiting for the first ferry of the day to the Greek capital. Passenger ships arrived at El Pireo to overflow, although there are still islands who resist leaving their home, their businesses and their houses. «I have lists In case the situation gets worse and I have to go to my relatives in Athens, but I can’t leave my job in this way, ”he tells ABC, Argyró, worker of one of the quarries of the island.
Vana, 50 years old and a worker in the hotel sector, does not plan to leave the island. «From the moment they reported that Not about the volcanoI do not consider that there is a real danger to have to leave my house ». Vana explains to this newspaper that she and she have spent the night in the car. «Last night there were enough tremors. At first we prepared several bags with food for us and the dog, water and some clothes, but when they left them in the car, there was a new earthquake and we decided to spend the night in it. However, this morning we have gone to work and make the purchase like any other day, ”he says.
Vana resides in the town of Mesarioinside Santorini. «Here the risk is not the same as in the boiler; We have no landslides We have it far from the ground, so we feel quite sure. The important thing is to follow the recommendations of the authorities and keep calm. Each situation is different: it depends on what part of the island your home and your personal situation is; That is why I understand that there are people who are leaving ». There are few residents of Mesariá who have decided to set up to continental Greece, according to vain, most are mothers with young children or people who are really frightened by the frequency of earthquakes. «I understand mothers perfectly because it is difficult to manage a situation as it is with minors in your charge. If my children were young, I would have gone too, ”he acknowledges. As for whether the situation can affect tourism, vain is optimistic and believes that a lot is still missing for April and the beginning of the tourist season: «In addition to Santorini people come for their volcanic beauty, and in The volcanic islands everyone knows that earthquakes are produced ».
Since last Saturday, more than half a thousand earthquakes, with magnitudes greater than 3 on the Richter scale, The strongest of 4.9 and 5 They have shaken the amorgós, iOS and Santorini islands. According to data from the president of the Association of Shipping Companies of Passengers of Greece, it is estimated that more than 6,000 people, almost half of the population of the island, have abandoned Santorini by boat in the last 48 hours. Aegean Airlines, which operates at the local airport, is scheduled for eight flights to Athens on Tuesday, with the capacity to transfer about 1,400 people. It is estimated that between today and yesterday, between 2,500 and 2,700 people will have left the island by air.
Given the fear that the landslides registered in the boiler of Santorini block access to portthe mayor of the island, Nikos Zorzos, explained to the newspaper `Kathimeriní ‘that an alternative plan is being organized to evacuate those who still remain in Santorini.
The situation is completely different in Amorgós, an insula that unlike its neighboring Santorini, has a rocky floor that protects it against seismic phenomena of great intensity. «We are not afraid here, even if there is a tremor every few minutes. The ships are empty because we have no intention to leave. Go to where and for what? Here we are sure. Emergency teams have arrived and are prepared in case a problem arises, ”says Dimitris, 65, originally from Amorgós.
Continuous tremors
This Tuesday, in less than fifteen minutes there were three earthquakes that exceeded a magnitude 4, while during the early morning from Monday to Tuesday, more than fifty tremors shook the area, adding to the more than 500 earthquakes recorded since last Saturday .
Effzimios Lekas, president of the Seismic Planning and Protection Organization, has announced that the intense seismic activity I could continue for days or even weeks, since, so far, a tremor has not been observed that can be considered as the main one. During an intervention on Greek television, the expert stressed that earthquakes will hardly exceed a magnitude of 5.5 or 6 on the Richter scale and denied that this seismic activity is related to the love failure, the same that caused the devastating earthquake of 1956, explaining that it is due to the activation of minor failures in the region.
Given the frequency of the tremors, Civil Protection has expanded the preventive measures to 13 of the 24 inhabited islands of the archipelago. The schools in these islands will remain closed on Tuesday. From Civil Protection, they recommend that the islanders avoid the agglomerations in closed spaces, move away from the coastline if they observe a sharp setback from the waters and follow the indications of the authorities.
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