Guardian angels’: Rhodes locals help fire-stranded tourists
By AFP
Published July 25, 2023
Locals on Rhodes have been helping to tackle the fires and support stranded tourists
- Copyright GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/AFP SCOTT OLSON
Alexandros KOTTIS
In the yard of a private school far from the wildfires raging on the Greek island of Rhodes, children kicked a ball as a man relaxed under the scorching sun.
While the inferno has wrought havoc on the dream vacation of thousands of tourists, a few hundred of them have found shelter at the Rodion School in the island’s northeast.
“Some were less lucky than us, they had to run to the beach to save their lives,” said Vincent, a Swiss tourist who declined to give his surname.
The family of five was vacationing in the popular tourist spot of Lindos when they were forced to evacuate in panic on Saturday as the wildfires inched perilously close to coastal resorts in the south of the island.
The Rodion was closed for summer, but decided to hurriedly reopen as part of an island-wide mobilisation that saw hundreds of people housed in indoor gyms, halls and other hotels until they could board flights home.
More than 260 firefighters were still battling flames for an eighth consecutive day on Rhodes on Tuesday, supported by two helicopters and two planes.
“School staff were immediately mobilised and dozens of volunteers came forward to help. The scale of solidarity exceeds our expectations,” said the school’s director, Kyriakos Kyriakoulis.
“People were panicked when they came here, traumatised. We try to bring them a little comfort and humanity,” Kyriakoulis told AFP.
The school gymnasium has been transformed into a dormitory while the dance hall doubles as a canteen.
“The human warmth, the generosity, the empathy that we found with these people… They are our guardian angels. We won’t forget that,” Vincent said.
“Without them, I don’t know what we would have done,” he added.
Over 600 people have found shelter at the school, and 200 were still there Monday.
– ‘Very moved’ –
“The whole population of Rhodes has been incredibly supportive,” said Manolis Markopoulos, head of the Rhodes Hoteliers Association.
“Some have brought their own mattresses” for people to sleep on, he said.
The school’s teachers have interrupted their summer vacations to return to offer cultural, recreational and sporting activities to children, helping to take their mind off the trauma of evacuation.
“We have everything we need here, and more,” said Christine Moody, a 69-year-old British pensioner on her first visit to Greece.
“I can’t believe they are so kind, they give so much, and in every way. I am very moved,” she said, adding that she will remember this “forever.”
Local restaurant owners have brought free food, and computer science teacher Marios Hatzimihalis has set up an online form where evacuees can find available emergency accommodation.
“We do what is in our power to help, each with their skills and their means”, Hatzimihalis said.
His initiative has been employed by local authorities, who use it to register tourists awaiting repatriation to their countries.
The Greek transport ministry said over 2,100 people had flown home on emergency flights on Sunday and Monday.
In contrast to the support offered by the locals, many visitors have decried a lack of assistance from state authorities.
“We have not seen the Greek authorities. It is thanks to the people here that we are saved”, said Vincent.
Rhodes on Tuesday remains at the highest level of fire alert.
2023/07/24
Burnt trees are seen next to a hotel near the village of Kiotari as forest fires rage on Rhodes and in other parts of Greece. Socrates Baltagiannis/dpa
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said his country was "at war" with the wildfires which were raging in 64 regions across the country on Monday, and have forced tens of thousands of tourists on various holiday islands to be evacuated.
The fire danger remains extremely high. This applies to the region of Greater Athens, the Peloponnese peninsula and many islands in the Aegean Sea, the Greek Civil Defence Department warned on Monday.
It added that the high-risk situation is expected to remain in the coming days.
The worst fires raged on the island of Rhodes and on Corfu and Euboea on Monday.
On Rhodes, a large blaze raged for the seventh day in a row. There, some 20,000 people from the south-east of the island had been brought to safety on Saturday in one of Greece's largest-ever evacuation operations.
Around 9,500 people on Rhodes were still housed in halls and schools or being taken in by locals on Monday, said estimates.
The blaze on Rhodes has damaged around 10% of the island's hotels, according to the prime minister.
On the island of Corfu, in the north-west of the country, a forest fire was brought under control on Monday.
During the night, the local authorities had taken precautionary measures to evacuate some 1,000 tourists and 1,500 residents.
Coastguard boats brought the holidaymakers and residents to safety, state television reported.
Firefighting planes and helicopters were deployed at first light on Monday to all the fire grounds, according to the Civil Defence Department.
Fire crews from Turkey and Egypt were deployed to reinforce Greek firefighting crews. Strong winds continue to fan the flames, according to a spokesman for the fire brigade.
Efforts are now focused on helping bring tourists back home.
The German travel group Tui has said it is sending additional planes to Greece for stranded tourists.
Six additional planes brought holidaymakers from Germany and the United Kingdom home on Monday morning, Tui said on Monday. Another flight to Denmark was also announced.
"Our colleagues are still working around the clock to support the affected guests," said Thomas Ellerbeck, who is responsible for group communications at Tui.
The travel group had previously said it would stop all flights to the tourist spot up to and including Tuesday.
On Sunday, Tui reportedly had about 39,000 customers on Rhodes, 7,800 of whom were affected by the fires.
Tour operators are using chartered planes and vacant seats on regular flights, according to the German Travel Association (DRV). Some guests are being taken by ferry to Athens or Turkey to travel home from there, it said.
The situation that Greece finds itself in has been caused by climate change, Mitsotakis stressed during a parliamentary debate broadcast by state radio on Monday.
The Greek leader thanked all the people who helped with the firefighting efforts across the country in recent days.
He said the fact there had been no casualties in the wildfires in several areas was down to the efforts of firefighters, the civil defence service, the coastguard and volunteers. He warned that the next few days would continue to be dangerous.
The first fires began near Athens on Monday last week, amid a heatwave and strong winds.
Greece is eagerly awaiting Thursday, as meteorologists have said temperatures are set to drop.
Temperatures are expected to be around 35 degrees Celsius on Thursday, which is normal for the time of year. On Sunday, 46.4 degrees was measured in the south of the Peloponnese peninsula. This was the fourth-highest temperature ever recorded in Greece, the meteorological office reported.
But before the cooler temperatures arrive, there will be one last hot day with up to 46 degrees on Wednesday, weather experts said.
The cooling will be the result of strong northerly winds, and the Civil Defence Department warned that forest fires could rage out of control again because of these strong winds.
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said his country was "at war" with the wildfires which were raging in 64 regions across the country on Monday, and have forced tens of thousands of tourists on various holiday islands to be evacuated.
The fire danger remains extremely high. This applies to the region of Greater Athens, the Peloponnese peninsula and many islands in the Aegean Sea, the Greek Civil Defence Department warned on Monday.
It added that the high-risk situation is expected to remain in the coming days.
The worst fires raged on the island of Rhodes and on Corfu and Euboea on Monday.
On Rhodes, a large blaze raged for the seventh day in a row. There, some 20,000 people from the south-east of the island had been brought to safety on Saturday in one of Greece's largest-ever evacuation operations.
Around 9,500 people on Rhodes were still housed in halls and schools or being taken in by locals on Monday, said estimates.
The blaze on Rhodes has damaged around 10% of the island's hotels, according to the prime minister.
On the island of Corfu, in the north-west of the country, a forest fire was brought under control on Monday.
During the night, the local authorities had taken precautionary measures to evacuate some 1,000 tourists and 1,500 residents.
Coastguard boats brought the holidaymakers and residents to safety, state television reported.
Firefighting planes and helicopters were deployed at first light on Monday to all the fire grounds, according to the Civil Defence Department.
Fire crews from Turkey and Egypt were deployed to reinforce Greek firefighting crews. Strong winds continue to fan the flames, according to a spokesman for the fire brigade.
Efforts are now focused on helping bring tourists back home.
The German travel group Tui has said it is sending additional planes to Greece for stranded tourists.
Six additional planes brought holidaymakers from Germany and the United Kingdom home on Monday morning, Tui said on Monday. Another flight to Denmark was also announced.
"Our colleagues are still working around the clock to support the affected guests," said Thomas Ellerbeck, who is responsible for group communications at Tui.
The travel group had previously said it would stop all flights to the tourist spot up to and including Tuesday.
On Sunday, Tui reportedly had about 39,000 customers on Rhodes, 7,800 of whom were affected by the fires.
Tour operators are using chartered planes and vacant seats on regular flights, according to the German Travel Association (DRV). Some guests are being taken by ferry to Athens or Turkey to travel home from there, it said.
The situation that Greece finds itself in has been caused by climate change, Mitsotakis stressed during a parliamentary debate broadcast by state radio on Monday.
The Greek leader thanked all the people who helped with the firefighting efforts across the country in recent days.
He said the fact there had been no casualties in the wildfires in several areas was down to the efforts of firefighters, the civil defence service, the coastguard and volunteers. He warned that the next few days would continue to be dangerous.
The first fires began near Athens on Monday last week, amid a heatwave and strong winds.
Greece is eagerly awaiting Thursday, as meteorologists have said temperatures are set to drop.
Temperatures are expected to be around 35 degrees Celsius on Thursday, which is normal for the time of year. On Sunday, 46.4 degrees was measured in the south of the Peloponnese peninsula. This was the fourth-highest temperature ever recorded in Greece, the meteorological office reported.
But before the cooler temperatures arrive, there will be one last hot day with up to 46 degrees on Wednesday, weather experts said.
The cooling will be the result of strong northerly winds, and the Civil Defence Department warned that forest fires could rage out of control again because of these strong winds.
Burned cars in the village of Kiotari as forest fires rage on Rhodes and in other parts of Greece. Socrates Baltagiannis/dpa
A Romanian firefighter tries to extinguish a fire that broke out in a house near the village of Gennadi as forest fires rage on Rhodes and in other parts of Greece. Socrates Baltagiannis/dpa
© Deutsche Presse-Agentur GmbH
© Deutsche Presse-Agentur GmbH
No comments:
Post a Comment