"We would have burned"
"We would have burned"
- and other minor complaints
This will not be a light one, as this week has been insane. All hell broke loose - again. I was on my way back to Athens when we saw the smoke rising over the highway.
It would soon reach Athens - and so would the fire. Every year, this is a tragedy on repeat. Every year, the authorities seem wildly unprepared.
It’s not me saying this. It’s the people I spoke to.
Weekly Spotlight
So, as you can probably imagine, the biggest and saddest news these days concerned the huge fire that started on Sunday in East Attica and reached homes as far as Chalandri, Penteli and Vrilissia. Around 100 houses were destroyed, 10.000 hectares of land was burnt, one person died and many others were displaced.
Marathon Dam, before the fire (source)
Marathon Dam, now.
You’ve probably seen and read a lot of news about this. A lot of numbers have been peddled, a lot of theories on how it started, a lot of maps (and some more maps) of how large it really was.
But I’d like you to see what I saw, with my own eyes.
On Tuesday, I spent more than 12 hours driving around the burned areas, all the way from Penteli to Mea Makri and Marathonas, alongside my friend and colleague Carolina Drüten, who was reporting for Welt and Zeit. We spoke to the people there, we entered burned houses, we saw the barren post-apocalyptic landscape and we heard people’s cries of desperation.
You can read my story, in PressOne, here (English).
You can see the photos I took for Bloomberg and Getty Images here, of the damage left behind by the fires and here, of the cloud of smoke that came over Athens on Sunday evening.
You can read Carol’s story, in Zeit, accompanied by my photography, here (German).
It’s the third time I am reporting on this issue in Athens.
In 2022, I wrote about the Romanian firemen stationed in Athens, who have come here every year for the last 4 years, to lend a hand.
In 2021, I wrote a story about how, during the fires in August, people came together to help each other and the animals caught in the blaze.
This is a topic that I never want to report on, ever again. But chances are, I will have to. Climate change is real. It’s happening. But people feel abandoned by the state, that seems to do absolutely nothing to prevent this or protect them.
News You Can Use
Which supermarkets are open today, August 15th? Here is a list.
But what exactly is today’s holiday, and how is it celebrated? And a set of pictures that show you a deserted Athens, that you can only see on this date or in a global pandemic.
Hellenic Train announces an interruption of services on the Thessaloniki-Serres and Thessaloniki-Drama segments, from August 18 to September 30. Routes will be operated by buses.
This is where the residents affected by the fires can submit applications for help. Platforms for compensation will be open on August 21. Some people are still hosted in the Olympic stadium (650 initially, 150 left now).
Apparently, September will also be very, very warm.
Scientists are investigating water scarcity on seven Greek islands, looking for sustainable solutions.
Minimum wage in Greece should grow to 950 euros per month by 2027 and Social security contributions might be cut by half a percentage point in 2025 and another half in 2027. Until then, though, here’s how things look like these days:
More than 50% of employees in the private sector are paid 800 or less euros net per month.
70% of employees are paid up to 950 euros net per month.
Only 10% are paid more than 1,450 euros.
Only 3.63% of employees are paid very well, i.e. they receive more than 2,025 euros net.
Per capita real disposable income of Greek households shrunk 1.9% in the first quarter of 2024 compared to the final quarter of 2023.
A man died this week bitten by a spider - so here’s a list of all the most common spider species in Greece.
And a very interesting opinion of how bad the ferry service towards the islands really is. And here I was, thinking it’s pretty much the most efficient public transport option in Greece, although horribly expensive.
The Long Reads
The greatest long-term risk of repetitive fires? That Athens (and everything around it) turns into a desert.
I will also live you with this story - an investigation from the independent Greek media MIIR from August 2023, that remains extremely relevant, and that talks about how inefficient fire prevention really is in Greece. It’s in English, well worth a look.
Wanderlust
In celebration of International Lighthouse Day, eighteen lighthouses across Greece will be open to the public on Sunday, August 18. Visitors can explore these historic maritime beacons from 10:00 to 14:00 and from 17:00 to 20:00.
At Stavros Niarchos, tomorrow, August 16th, on the Great Lawn, at 9 pm there is a free projection of Woody Allen’s 2008 Vicky Cristina Barcelona (a custom-made screening for people with autism and sensory processing disorders), and on Monday, August 19, there is a Full Moon film marathon.
Also at Stavros Niarchos, on Wednesday, August 21st, at the top of the Centre to the Lighthouse Terrace, you can check out Michalis Kamakas live, as part of the Sunset DJ Sets series of events.
Useful Tidbits Corner
If you need to get to Rafina, in order to travel to some of the islands that are not connected with Pireas, here’s the schedule of the KTEL buses. They leave just outside of the metro station Nomismatokopio (the blue line). Same goes for Lavrio (here is the schedule).
For Sounio, buses still leave from Pedion tou Areos (around here you will find the bus stop). The schedule is here.
Have a great weekend and do write back. Even if it’s just to complain.
Ioana