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Kalispera!
I don't often send emails other than the quarterly newsletter, but given recent events on Santorini, I thought I might help people who are grappling with this year's travel plans.
Like many parts of the world, Greece has seismic activity, and small tremors are not unusual.
Here is some background information and things to consider:
- There are six active volcanoes in Greece, the last of which erupted in Santorini in 1950. The others have not erupted since ancient times or even beyond.
- Santorini is famous for its 'caldera' - which means 'rim or basin of a volcano, and that is why it has its distinctive shape and cliffs. The island is actually made up of five islands, not one, and the two uninhabited ones in the centre of the caldera are where there is seismic activity, and hot springs. It is a very popular day trip to sail out there and walk on the islands, see the sulfur vents, and swim in the warm water.
- 28kms north east of Santorini is an underwater volcano called Kolumbo which last erupted in 1650AD. It is roughly midway between Santorini and the stunning island of Amorgos, and given the two volcanoes are so close together, any seismic activity is likely to affect both.
- In January this year, this area experienced a significant earthquake swarm. This series of seismic events prompted emergency responses and raised concerns among residents and experts alike. Between the 25th and February 7, there were more than 200 tremors, the largest being 5.3 on the Richter scale.
- As a result, many residents of Santorini, and some of the neighbouring islands, left and schools were closed. Public events were cancelled and the Government declared a State of Emergency to unlock access to emergency funds and resources. First responders arrived on the island and contingency plans were made.
- Being winter, many things on these islands were already closed so luckily the event was not too disruptive.
- The locals have now returned to the islands and the schools reopened on March 4, after the National Holiday on Clean Monday. The first responders have left.
- The government has allocated a large sum to invest in further works and activities to ensure maximum safety in case of another event, and they are working on stabilising some buildings on the Caldera, looking at establishing an evacuation port, and are conducting further training and public awareness events.
Whether you continue with your plans to stay on Santorini is of course entirely up to you. It's a question that is asked in the Facebook Group constantly and one that is difficult to answer.
There are risks all over the world. Places like Iceland, Hawaii and Sicily have constant seismic activity and volcano eruptions, as does anywhere on the Pacific Ring of Fire. Other places are prone to Floods, Fires, Hurricanes and Cyclones - we are experiencing Cyclone Alfred here right now!
John and I have booked to visit Santorini again in September and have no plans to change that. This will be our fourth visit and the crowds and prices do not scare us. They are easy enough to avoid and it truly is an extraordinary place, that everyone should see in their lifetime!
If you do, however, want some suggestions on alternate islands to visit, I have recently written about that on the website - see below.
I also have a pinned post in the Facebook Group and I update it with any new, important information. It also explains the best news sources and sites to follow:
https://www.ekathimerini.com
/https://civilprotection.gov.gr/en/odigies-prostasias/seismoi?
https://oasp.gr/
https://en.protothema.gr/?https://www.skylinewebcams.com/.../kyklades/santorini.html
Whatever you decide, stay safe and enjoy,
Sandy
As always, don't forget the great planning resources on the website.
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