The seismic activity persists in the Aegean: in the last two weeks about 14,000 tremors between the amorgós and Santorini islands have been recorded. This Monday, there were more than a hundred Seís, including one of magnitude 5.3 on the Richter scale, the strongest since the beginning of the seismic activity on January 24. This last tremor surprised the experts, since it happened after several days in which it seemed that the seismic activity had decreased.
On the other hand, experts suggest that this phenomenon, that the president of the Seismic Planning and Protection Organization, Effthymios Lekas, has classified as a “classic swarm”, is characterized by a sequence of tremors of small and medium magnitudes. Experts believe it could last weeks and do not rule out the possibility of an earthquake with greater magnitude.
It should be noted that, according to specialists, the main earthquake of the seismic sequence has not yet registered. According to Lekas, the main earthquakes are usually half stronger than previous tremors. Therefore, for the main earthquake to be considered in this case, an earthquake would be needed around 6 degrees of magnitude. Vasilis Karastazis, director of the Greek Geodynamic Institute, states that, for an earthquake to be considered main, in addition to being greater than the previous tremors, it must be accompanied by a sequence with specific characteristics and not of a post-sysmic sequence.
Although the experts had ruled out the possibility that the two volcanoes of Santorini, Nea Kameni and the Kolumbo underwater, the academic and expert in natural disasters, Synolakis coasts, does not rule out that a small volcanic eruption can occur, similar to others occurred in the last century.
Aid for Santorini workers
Given the delicate situation of the inhabitants of some areas of Santorini due to landslides, last week the state of emergency was decreed in the municipality of Fira, the capital of the island. In addition, since Tuesday, the Ministry of Labor and Social Security of Greece has implemented special financial support measures for workers in the area. Entrepreneurs may suspend the contracts of the private sector workers of this municipality with retroactive character from February 1 to March 3. These workers will have the right to receive compensation of 534 euros per month, tax free, and will continue to quote according to their nominal salary.
On the other hand, to protect employees, companies that suspend contracts will not be able to lay off during the suspension period. In addition, once the suspension period is finished, companies must maintain the same number of jobs during a period equal to that of the suspension.
The educational centers of Santorini, Anafi, IOS and Amorgós remain closed for the second consecutive week. The authorities recommend the islanders of the affected islands to avoid large agglomerations and choose safe routes when moving, especially in areas with a high risk of landslides, such as the boiler of Santorini. In addition, it is advisable to avoid unnecessary risks inside the houses, relocating hanging or heavy objects that may cause accidents in case of a tremor of great magnitude.
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